Modified Fc Molecules

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a process for preparing a pharmacologically active compound, in which at least one internal conjugation site of an Fc domain sequence is selected that is amenable to conjugation of an additional functional moiety by a defined conjugation chemistry through the side chain of an amino acid residue at the conjugation site. An appropriate amino acid residue for conjugation may be present in a native Fc domain at the conjugation site or may be added by insertion (i.e., between amino acids in the native Fc domain) or by replacement (i.e., removing amino acids and substituting different amino acids). In the latter case, the number of amino acids added need not correspond to the number of amino acids removed from the previously existing Fc domain. This technology may be used to produce useful compositions of matter and pharmaceutical compositions containing them. A DNA encoding the inventive composition of matter, an expression vector containing the DNA, and a host cell containing the expression vector are also disclosed.

This application is a division of U.S. Nonprovisional application Ser. No. 11/502,761, filed Aug. 8, 2006, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/707,842, filed Aug. 12, 2005, both of which applications are hereby incorporated by reference.

This application incorporates by reference all subject matter contained in this text file, which is identified by the name of the file, A-1037USSeqList081006ST25.txt created on Aug. 10, 2006, the size of which file is 229 KB.

Throughout this application various publications are referenced within parentheses or brackets. The disclosures of these publications in their entireties are hereby incorporated by reference in this application in order to more fully describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Art

The present invention relates to the biochemical arts, particularly to conjugates with immunoglobulin Fc domains.

2. Discussion of Related Art

The immunoglobulin Fc domain has found widespread use as a carrier protein for a variety of therapeutic and diagnostic molecules. Antibodies comprise two functionally independent parts, a variable domain known as “Fab”, which binds antigen, and a constant domain known as “Fc”, which links to such effector functions as complement activation and attack by phagocytic cells. An Fc has a long serum half-life, whereas a Fab is short-lived. (Capon et al. (1989), Nature 337: 525-31). When constructed together with a therapeutic protein or peptide, an Fc domain can provide longer half-life, or can incorporate such functions as Fc receptor binding, protein A binding, complement fixation and perhaps even placental transfer. Id.

Numerous fusions of proteins and peptides have been engineered at either the amino- or carboxy-termini. Also, a variety of enzymes and synthetic reporter molecules have been chemically conjugated to the side chains of non-terminal amino acids as well as the derivatized carbohydrate moieties of the Fc domain. Further, several polymers, such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) have been conjugated to the Fc domain for the purpose of improved half-life in vivo and reduced immunogenicity.

The success of the drug Enbrel® (etanercept) brought to fruition the promise of therapeutic agents modified with the constant domain of an antibody. Table 1 summarizes several examples of the use of Fc fusion proteins known in the art.

TABLE 1 Fc fusion with therapeutic proteins Therapeutic Form of Fc Fusion partner implications Reference IgG1 N-terminus of Hodgkin's disease; U.S. Pat. No. CD30-L anaplastic 5,480,981 lymphoma; T-cell leukemia Murine IL-10 Anti-inflammatory; Zheng et al., (1995), Fcγ2a transplant rejection J. Immunol. 154: 5590-600 IgG1 TNF receptor Septic shock Fisher et al. (1996), N. Engl. J. Med. 334: 1697-1702; Van Zee, K. et al. (1996), J. Immunol. 156: 2221-30 IgG, IgA, TNF receptor Inflammation, U.S. Pat. No. IgM, or IgE autoimmune 5,808,029, issued (excluding disorders Sep. 15, 1998 the first domain) IgG1 CD4 receptor AIDS Capon et al. (1989), Nature 337: 525-31 IgG1, IgG3 N-terminus of Anti-cancer, Harvill et al. (1995), IL-2 antiviral Immunotech. 1: 95-105 IgG1 C-terminus of osteoarthritis; WO 97/23614, OPG bone density published Jul. 3, 1997 IgG1 N-terminus of Anti-obesity WO 98/28427, filed leptin Dec. 11, 1997 Human Ig CTLA-4 Autoimmune Linsley (1991), C 1 disorders J. Exp. Med. 174: 561-9

A more recent development is fusion of randomly generated peptides with the Fc domain. See U.S. Pat. No. 6,660,843, issued Dec. 9, 2003 to Feige et al. (incorporated by reference in its entirety). Such molecules have come to be known as “peptibodies.” They include one or more peptides linked to the N-terminus, C-terminus, amino acid side chains, or to more than one of these sites. Peptibody technology enables design of therapeutic agents that incorporate peptides that target one or more ligands or receptors, tumor-homing peptides, membrane-transporting peptides, and the like. Peptibody technology has proven useful in design of a number of such molecules, including linear and disulfide-constrained peptides, “tandem peptide multimers” (i.e., more than one peptide on a single chain of an Fc domain). See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,660,843; U.S. Pat. App. No. 2003/0195156 A1, published Oct. 16, 2003 (corresponding to WO 02/092620, published Nov. 21, 2002); U.S. Pat. App. No. 2003/0176352, published Sep. 18, 2003 (corresponding to WO 03/031589, published Apr. 17, 2003); U.S. Ser. No. 09/422,838, filed Oct. 22, 1999 (corresponding to WO 00/24770, published May 4, 2000); U.S. Pat. App. No. 2003/0229023, published Dec. 11, 2003; WO 03/057134, published Jul. 17, 2003; U.S. Pat. App. No. 2003/0236193, published Dec. 25, 2003 (corresponding to PCT/US04/010989, filed Apr. 8, 2004); U.S. Ser. No. 10/666,480, filed Sep. 18, 2003 (corresponding to WO 04/026329, published Apr. 1, 2004), U.S. Patent App. No. 2006/0140934, published Jun. 29, 2006 (corresponding to WO 2006/036834, published Apr. 4, 2006), each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The art would benefit from further technology enabling such rational design of polypeptide therapeutic agents.

Conventional approaches for chemical conjugation to the immunoglobulin Fc domain include random coupling to naturally occurring primary amines such as lysine and the amino-terminus or carboxylic acids such as glutamic acid, aspartic acid and the carboxy terminus. Alternatively, semi-selective site-specific coupling may be achieved through N-terminal conjugation under appropriate conditions, or derivatized carbohydrates as found on Fc proteins isolated from eukaryotic sources, or by partial reduction and coupling of native cysteine residues. (E.g., Kim et al., A pharmaceutical composition comprising an immunoglobulin Fc region as a carrier, WO 2005/047337). While each of these approaches has been applied successfully, they typically suffer from varying degrees of conjugate heterogeneity, relatively low yields and sometimes, significant losses in functional activity are also observed. The art would benefit from a process for selective, site-specific conjugation to the immunoglobulin Fc domain without significant loss in functional activity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns compositions of matter and a process for making them. The inventive composition of matter, which is a pharmacologically active compound, comprises a monomeric or multimeric Fc domain having at least one additional functional moiety that is covalently bound (or conjugated), either directly or through a linker, to one or more specifically selected conjugation site(s) in the Fc domain through the side chain of an amino acid residue at the conjugation site(s). Such an internal conjugation site may be already present in a native Fc domain sequence or can be added by insertion (i.e., between amino acids in the native Fc domain) or by replacement (i.e., removing amino acid residue(s) and substituting different canonical and/or non-canonical amino acid residue(s)) in the native Fc domain sequence in order to create or “engineer” the conjugation site. In the latter case, the number of amino acid residues added need not correspond to the number of amino acid residues removed from the previously existing Fc domain sequence.

This inventive process of preparing a pharmacologically active compound comprising an Fc domain includes:

a. selecting at least one internal conjugation site of an Fc domain sequence, said conjugation site being amenable to conjugation of an additional moiety by a defined coupling chemistry through the side chain of an amino acid residue at the conjugation site; and

b. conjugating a predetermined functional moiety to the selected conjugation site by employing the defined conjugation chemistry.

In some embodiments, the functional moiety is a half-life extending moiety and/or a pharmacologically active moiety, which can be, for example, a polypeptide, a peptide, a peptidomimetic, or a non-peptide organic moiety. In other embodiments the additional functional moiety is a moiety detectably labeled with a radioisotope, an enzyme (e.g., a peroxidase or a kinase), a biotinyl moiety, a fluorophore, or a chromophore. Alternatively, the additional functional moiety is an immobilized substrate, such as but not limited to, a plate surface, a bead, a particle, a microparticle, a nanoparticle, a chip, a liposome, a matrix, or the like, provided that in a chain of additional functional moieties, the immobilized substrate is the additional moiety most distal from the Fc domain, and there can be no more than one immobilized substrate in the chain.

The inventive process can be employed to modify an Fc domain that is already linked through an N- or C-terminus or side chain to a polypeptide (e.g., a soluble fragment of TNF-R2, as in etanercept) or to a peptide (e.g., as described in U.S. Pat. App. Nos. 2003/0195156 A1, 2003/0176352, 2003/0229023, and 2003/0236193; WO 00/24770; WO 04/026329). The process described throughout can also be employed to modify an Fc domain that is part of an antibody (e.g., adalimumab, epratuzumab, infliximab, Herceptin®, and the like). In this way, different molecules can be produced that have additional functionalities, such as a binding domain to a different epitope, an additional binding domain to the precursor molecule's existing epitope, or an additional half-life extending moiety.

The compounds of this invention may be prepared by standard synthetic methods, recombinant DNA techniques, or any other methods of preparing peptides and fusion proteins with reference to the disclosure of this specification.

The compounds of this invention may be used for therapeutic or prophylactic purposes by formulating them by methods known for other proteinacious molecules and administering an effective amount to a patient, such as a human (or other mammal) in need thereof. Other related aspects are also included in the current invention.

Numerous additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the figures and detailed description of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows a preferred subset (highlighted) of amino acid residue positions for modification as conjugation site(s) from the superset of solvent-exposed surface residues (see Table 2) in a human IgG1 Fc domain sequence (SEQ ID NO:600). Underlined residues are not present in crystal structure 1FC1, and many of these residues are good candidates for modification (e.g., insertion or substitution of amino acid residues) for creation of a conjugation site in accordance with the present invention, particularly the following amino acid residues from the aminoterminal fragment (first eighteen amino acid residues): DKTHTC . . . C.A.E . . . GG, i.e., through a side chain in the subsequence at positions 1 through 6 of SEQ ID NO:600, at position 9 of SEQ ID NO:600, at position 11 of SEQ ID NO:600, at position 13 of SEQ ID NO:600, at position 16 of SEQ ID NO:600, at position 17 of SEQ ID NO:600, and the following amino acids from the carboxy terminal fragment: .GK, i.e., a non-terminal site at position 226 of SEQ ID NO:600, or position 227 of SEQ ID NO:600.

FIG. 2 shows (SEQ ID NO:599), the sequence of human IgG1 Fc monomer with predicted loop region sequences in boldface; the N-terminal methionine is added for expression from E. coli and is not otherwise present in the native IgG1 sequence (reference sequence SEQ ID NO:600). Amino acid residues useful as preferred sites for insertion or substitution of amino acid residues for creation of a conjugation site in accordance with the present invention are underlined.

FIG. 3 shows (SEQ ID NO:599), the sequence of human IgG1 Fc monomer with predicted loop region sequences in boldface. Amino acid residue positions useful as conjugation sites in accordance with the present invention also include the underlined. Preferred surface exposed conjugation sites selected from FIG. 1 are indicated by highlighting here.

FIG. 4 shows proposed cysteine mutation sites mapped to Fc structure. The amino acid residues identified by arrows are designated positions relative to reference sequence SEQ ID NO:599, as follows:

A: Ser 196, which is the most solvent-exposed and is in a rigid helix.

B: Gln 143, which is a deep polar pocket and is from the same strand as Cys 148.

C: Leu 139, which is an Fc-loop region, and is near the C-terminus in a polar pocket.

D: Ser 145, which is from the same strand as cys 148 and is in a polar pocket on a β-sheet surface in a cleft between subunits.

FIG. 5 shows SDS-PAGE gel analysis (4-20% Tris:Glycine polyacrylamide gel for 1.5 hours at 125V, 35 mA, 0.1% SDS) of purified huFc-cysteine analogs described in Example 2. Lanes: 1,8 contained MW markers, lanes 2, 9 contained clone 13300 Fc(Q143C), lanes 3, 10 contained clone 13322 Fc(L139C), lanes 4, 11 contained clone 13323 Fc(S145C) and lanes 5, 12 contained clone 13324 Fc(S196C). Lanes 2-6 were reduced and lanes 9-12 were non-reduced.

FIG. 6 shows purity by SEC-HPLC analyses of clone 13324 huFc(S196C) as described in Example 2. Samples (20 μg) were eluted in 100 mM sodium phosphate, 150 mM NaCl, pH 6.9 on a TSK G3000SW×1 column, 7.8 mm ID×30 cm, 5 μm bead size) at 0.5 ml/min.

FIG. 7 shows purity and mass determination by LC-MS of clone 13324 huFc(S196C) as described in Example 2. Samples (20 μg) were eluted in 0.1% TFA with a linear 0-90% acetonitrile gradient from a Zorbax 300SB-C18 column, 2.1 mm×150 cm.

FIG. 8A shows non-reduced SDS-PAGE analysis of huFc (S196C) analog PEGylated after varying degrees of TCEP reduction, as described in Example 3. Molar stoichiometries of engineered Cysteine: TCEP were: 1:0 in lane 1, 1:0.5 in lane 3, 1:0.75 in lane 4, 1:1 in lane 5, 1:1.25 in lane 6, 1:1.5 in lane 7, 1:2 in lane 8 and 1:5 in lane 9. MW markers were in lane 2. 2 μg of non-reduced protein were loaded to each lane and run in 4-20% Tris-Glycine polyacrylamide gel with 0.1% SDS at 125 V, 35 mA and 5 W, for 1.5 hours.

FIG. 8B shows reduced SDS-PAGE analysis of huFc (S196C) analog PEGylated after varying degrees of TCEP reduction, as described in Example 3. Molar stoichiometries of engineered Cysteine: TCEP were: 1:0 in lane 2, 1:0.5 in lane 3, 1:0.75 in lane 4, 1:1 in lane 5, 1:1.25 in lane 6, 1:1.5 in lane 7, 1:2 in lane 8 and 1:5 in lane 9. MW markers were in lane 1. 2 μg of reduced protein were loaded to each lane and run in 4-20% Tris-Glycine polyacrylamide gel with 0.1% SDS at 125 V, 35 mA and 5 W, for 1.5 hours.

FIG. 9A-B shows SEC-HPLC analyses of huFc (S196C) analog PEGylated after varying degrees of TCEP reduction, as described in Example 3. 20 μg protein were loaded to TSK 3000SW×1 column (7.8 mm×30 cm, 5 micron) and eluted in 100 mM sodium phosphate, 150 mM NaCl, pH 6.9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Definition of Terms

The terms used throughout this specification are defined as follows, unless otherwise limited in specific instances. As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Unless specified otherwise, the left-hand end of single-stranded polynucleotide sequences is the 5′ end; the left-hand direction of double-stranded polynucleotide sequences is referred to as the 5′ direction. The direction of 5′ to 3′ addition of nascent RNA transcripts is referred to as the transcription direction; sequence regions on the DNA strand having the same sequence as the RNA and which are 5′ to the 5′ end of the RNA transcript are referred to as “upstream sequences”; sequence regions on the DNA strand having the same sequence as the RNA and which are 3′ to the 3′ end of the RNA transcript are referred to as “downstream sequences”.

When used in connection with an amino acid sequence, the term “comprising” means that a compound may include additional amino acid residues on either or both of the N- or C-termini of the given sequence.

A conjugation site being “amenable to conjugation” means that the side chain of the amino acid residue at the selected conjugation site will react with the additional functional moiety of interest (or with a linker covalently attached to the additional functional moiety), under the defined chemical conditions, resulting in covalent binding of the additional functional moiety (directly or via the linker) to the side chain as a major reaction product.

“Antibody” or “antibody peptide(s)” refer to an intact antibody, or a binding fragment thereof that competes with the intact antibody for specific binding and includes chimeric, humanized, fully human, and bispecific antibodies. In certain embodiments, binding fragments are produced by recombinant DNA techniques. In additional embodiments, binding fragments are produced by enzymatic or chemical cleavage of intact antibodies. Binding fragments include, but are not limited to, Fab, Fab′, F(ab′)₂, Fv, and single-chain antibodies.

The inventive composition comprises a Fc domain having at least one additional functional moiety covalently bound to the Fc domain. The term “Fc domain” encompasses native Fc and Fc variant molecules and sequences as defined herein below. As with Fc variants and native Fc's, the term “Fc domain” includes molecules in monomeric or multimeric form, whether digested from whole antibody or produced by other means. In one embodiment, the Fc domain is a human native Fc domain. In other embodiments, the “Fc domain” can be a Fc variant, an analog, a mutant, a truncation, or a derivative of human Fc or of an alternative mammalian Fc polypeptide.

The term “native Fc” refers to a molecule or sequence comprising the amino acid sequence of a non-antigen-binding fragment resulting from digestion of whole antibody, whether in monomeric or multimeric form, at which a peptide may be added or conjugated by being covalently bound, directly or indirectly through a linker, to a loop region of the Fc domain. The original immunoglobulin source of the native Fc is preferably of human origin (although non-human mammalian native Fc is included in “native Fc” and can also be useful in some embodiments), and may be any of the immunoglobulins, although IgG1 and IgG2 are preferred. The native Fc may optionally comprise an amino terminal methionine residue. By way of example, SEQ ID NO:600 is the native human IgG1 sequence (used, in some cases, as a reference sequence herein), and Fc variant SEQ ID NO:599 (also used in some cases as a reference sequence herein) is the same sequence with an amino terminal methionine residue. Native Fcs are made up of monomeric polypeptides that may be linked into dimeric or multimeric forms by covalent (i.e., disulfide bonds) and non-covalent association. The number of intermolecular disulfide bonds between monomeric subunits of native Fc molecules ranges from 1 to 4 depending on class (e.g., IgG, IgA, IgE) or subclass (e.g., IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgA1, IgGA2). One example of a native Fc is a disulfide-bonded dimer resulting from papain digestion of an IgG (see Ellison et al. (1982), Nucleic Acids Res. 10: 4071-9). The term “native Fc” as used herein is generic to the monomeric, dimeric, and multimeric forms.

Statements or claims concerning amino acid residue positions cited herein relative to one particular “reference sequence” (i.e., SEQ ID NO:600 or SEQ ID NO:599) apply equally to the corresponding position in the other reference sequence, or in a different native Fc sequence, Fc variant sequence, or other modified Fc domain sequence, in an alignment of the two (i.e., comparing the recited reference sequence and the second Fc domain sequence of interest), e.g., position 2 in SEQ ID NO:599 corresponds to position 1 in SEQ ID NO:600, etc.

The term “Fc variant” refers to a molecule or sequence that is modified from a native Fc but still comprises a binding site for the salvage receptor, FcRn. International applications WO 97/34631 (published 25 Sep. 1997) and WO 96/32478 describe exemplary Fc variants, as well as interaction with the salvage receptor, and are hereby incorporated by reference. Thus, the term “Fc variant” comprises a molecule or sequence that is humanized from a non-human native Fc. Furthermore, a native Fc comprises sites that may be removed because they provide structural features or biological activity that are not required for molecules of the present invention. Thus, the term “Fc variant” comprises a molecule or sequence that lacks one or more native Fc sites or residues that affect or are involved in (1) disulfide bond formation, (2) incompatibility with a selected host cell (3) N-terminal heterogeneity upon expression in a selected host cell, (4) glycosylation, (5) interaction with complement, (6) binding to an Fc receptor other than a salvage receptor, or (7) antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). Fc variants are described in further detail hereinafter.

The term “internal” conjugation site means that conjugation of the at least one additional moiety, or moieties, is non-terminal, i.e., not through the α-amino site or the a-carboxy site of the Fc domain, although there optionally can also be additional moieties conjugated terminally at the N-terminal and/or C-terminal of the Fc domain.

The term “loop” region or “Fc-loop” region refers to a primary sequence of amino acid residues which connects two regions comprising secondary structure, such as an α-helix or a β-sheet, in the immediate N-terminal and C-terminal directions of primary structure from the loop region. Examples include, but are not limited to, CH2 or CH3 loop regions. One of skill in the art understands that a loop region, while not itself comprising secondary structure, may influence or contribute to secondary or higher order protein structure.

The term “multimer” as applied to Fc domains or molecules comprising Fc domains refers to molecules having two or more Fc domain polypeptide chains associated covalently, noncovalently, or by both covalent and non-covalent interactions. IgG molecules typically form dimers; IgM, pentamers; IgD, dimers; and IgA, monomers, dimers, trimers, or tetramers. Multimers may be formed by exploiting the sequence and resulting activity of the native Ig source of the Fc or by derivatizing (as defined below) such a native Fc.

The term “dimer” as applied to Fc domains or molecules comprising Fc domains refers to molecules having two polypeptide chains associated covalently or non-covalently. Exemplary dimers within the scope of this invention are as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,660,843, FIG. 2, which is hereby incorporated by reference. “Dimers” include homodimers and heterodimers.

The terms “derivatizing” and “derivative” or “derivatized” comprise processes and resulting compounds respectively in which (1) the compound has a cyclic portion; for example, cross-linking between cysteinyl residues within the compound; (2) the compound is cross-linked or has a cross-linking site; for example, the compound has a cysteinyl residue and thus forms cross-linked dimers in culture or in vivo; (3) one or more peptidyl linkage is replaced by a non-peptidyl linkage; (4) the N-terminus is replaced by —NRR¹, NRC(O)R¹, —NRC(O)OR¹, —NRS(O)₂R¹, —NHC(O)NHR, a succinimide group, or substituted or unsubstituted benzyloxycarbonyl-NH—, wherein R and R¹ and the ring substituents are as defined hereinafter; (5) the C-terminus is replaced by —C(O)R² or —NR³R⁴ wherein R², R³ and R⁴ are as defined hereinafter; and (6) compounds in which individual amino acid moieties are modified through treatment with agents capable of reacting with selected side chains or terminal residues. Derivatives are further described hereinafter.

The term “half-life extending moiety refers to a pharmaceutically acceptable moiety, domain, or “vehicle” covalently linked or conjugated to the Fc domain and/or a pharmaceutically active moiety, that prevents or mitigates in vivo proteolytic degradation or other activity-diminishing chemical modification of the pharmaceutically active moiety, increases half-life or other pharmacokinetic properties such as but not limited to increasing the rate of absorption, reduces toxicity, improves solubility, increases biological activity and/or target selectivity of the pharmaceutically active moiety with respect to a target of interest, increases manufacturability, and/or reduces immunogenicity of the pharmaceutically active moiety (e.g., a peptide or non-peptide moiety), compared to an unconjugated form of the pharamaceutically active moiety. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is an example of a useful half-life extending moiety. Other examples of the half-life extending moiety, in accordance with the invention, include a copolymer of ethylene glycol, a copolymer of propylene glycol, a carboxymethylcellulose, a polyvinyl pyrrolidone, a poly-1,3-dioxolane, a poly-1,3,6-trioxane, an ethylene maleic anhydride copolymer, a polyaminoacid (e.g., polylysine), a dextran n-vinyl pyrrolidone, a poly n-vinyl pyrrolidone, a propylene glycol homopolymer, a propylene oxide polymer, an ethylene oxide polymer, a polyoxyethylated polyol, a polyvinyl alcohol, a linear or branched glycosylated chain, a polyacetal, a long chain fatty acid, a long chain hydrophobic aliphatic group, an immunoglobulin F_(c) domain (see, e.g., Feige et al., Modified peptides as therapeutic agents, U.S. Pat. No. 6,660,843), an albumin (e.g., human serum albumin; see, e.g., Rosen et al., Albumin fusion proteins, U.S. Pat. No. 6,926,898 and US 2005/0054051; Bridon et al., Protection of endogenous therapeutic peptides from peptidase activity through conjugation to blood components, U.S. Pat. No. 6,887,470), a transthyretin (TTR; see, e.g., Walker et al., Use of transthyretin peptide/protein fusions to increase the serum half-life of pharmacologically active peptides/proteins, US 2003/0195154 A1; 2003/0191056 A1), or a thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG).

Other embodiments of the useful half-life extending moiety, in accordance with the invention, include peptide ligands or small (non-peptide organic) molecule ligands that have binding affinity for a long half-life serum protein under physiological conditions of temperature, pH, and ionic strength. Examples include an albumin-binding peptide or small molecule ligand, a transthyretin-binding peptide or small molecule ligand, a thyroxine-binding globulin-binding peptide or small molecule ligand, an antibody-binding peptide or small molecule ligand, or another peptide or small molecule that has an affinity for a long half-life serum protein. (See, e.g., Blaney et al., Method and compositions for increasing the serum half-life of pharmacologically active agents by binding to transthyretin-selective ligands, U.S. Pat. No. 5,714,142; Sato et al., Serum albumin binding moieties, US 2003/0069395 A1; Jones et al., Pharmaceutical active conjugates, U.S. Pat. No. 6,342,225). A “long half-life serum protein” is one of the hundreds of different proteins dissolved in mammalian blood plasma, including so-called “carrier proteins” (such as albumin, transferrin and haptoglobin), fibrinogen and other blood coagulation factors, complement components, immunoglobulins, enzyme inhibitors, precursors of substances such as angiotensin and bradykinin and many other types of proteins. The invention encompasses the use of any single species of pharmaceutically acceptable half-life extending moiety, such as, but not limited to, those described herein, or the use of a combination of two or more different half-life extending moieties.

The term “polypeptide” refers to molecules of greater than 40 amino acids, whether existing in nature or not, provided that such molecules are not membrane-bound. Exemplary polypeptides include interleukin (IL)-1ra, leptin, soluble tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptors type 1 and type 2 (sTNF-R1, sTNF-R2), keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), erythropoietin (EPO), thrombopoietin (TPO), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), darbepoietin, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), Fab fragments and the like. “Polypeptide” and “protein” are used interchangeably herein.

The term “peptide” refers to molecules of 2 to 40 amino acid residues in length, with molecules of 3 to 40 amino acid residues or 6 to 40 amino acid residues in length preferred. Exemplary peptides may be randomly generated by any of the methods cited above, carried in a peptide library (e.g., a phage display library), or derived by digestion of proteins. “Peptides” include cyclic peptides.

In further describing peptides or polypeptides herein, a one-letter abbreviation system is frequently applied to designate the identities of the twenty “canonical” amino acid residues generally incorporated into naturally occurring peptides and proteins (Table 1A). Such one-letter abbreviations are entirely interchangeable in meaning with three-letter abbreviations, or non-abbreviated amino acid names. Within the one-letter abbreviation system used herein, an uppercase letter indicates a L-amino acid, and a lower case letter indicates a D-amino acid, unless otherwise noted herein. For example, the abbreviation “R” designates L-arginine and the abbreviation “r” designates D-arginine.

TABLE 1A One-letter abbreviations for the canonical amino acids. Three-letter abbreviations are in parentheses. Alanine (Ala) A Glutamine (Gln) Q Leucine (Leu) L Serine (Ser) S Arginine (Arg) R Glutamic Acid (Glu) E Lysine (Lys) K Threonine (Thr) T Asparagine (Asn) N Glycine (Gly) G Methionine (Met) M Tryptophan (Trp) W Aspartic Acid (Asp) D Histidine (His) H Phenylalanine (Phe) F Tyrosine (Tyr) Y Cysteine (Cys) C Isoleucine (Ile) I Proline (Pro) P Valine (Val) V

An amino acid substitution in an amino acid sequence is typically designated herein with a one-letter abbreviation for the amino acid residue in a particular position, followed by the numerical amino acid position relative to the native peptide or polypeptide sequence of interest, which is then followed by the one-letter symbol for the amino acid residue substituted in. For example, “T30D” symbolizes a substitution of a threonine residue by an aspartate residue at amino acid position 30, relative to a hypothetical native peptide or polypeptide sequence. By way of further example, “R18hR” or “R18Cit” indicates a substitution of an arginine residue by a homoarginine or a citrulline residue, respectively, at amino acid position 18, relative to the hypothetical native peptide or polypeptide. An amino acid position within the amino acid sequence of any particular poly peptide or peptide (or peptide analog) described herein may differ from its position relative to the native sequence, i.e., as determined in an alignment of the N-terminal or C-terminal end of the peptide's amino acid sequence with the N-terminal or C-terminal end, as appropriate, of the native polypeptide or peptide sequence.

The term “non-canonical amino acid residue” refers to amino acid residues in D- or L-form that are not among the 20 canonical amino acids generally incorporated into naturally occurring proteins. Non-canonical amino acids include naturally rare (in peptides or proteins) amino acid residues or unnatural amino acid residues. Example of non-canonical amino acids include, without limitation, β-amino acids, homoamino acids, cyclic amino acids, α-, α-disubstituted amino acids, N-alkyl amino acids, and amino acids with derivatized side chains. Other examples include (in the L-form or D-form): citrulline (Cit), homocitrulline (hCit), N-methylcitrulline (NMeCit), N-methylhomocitrulline (NMeHoCit), ornithine (Orn or O), N-Methylornithine (NMeOrn), sarcosine (Sar), homolysine (hK or Hlys), homoarginine (hR or hArg), homoglutamine (hQ), N-methylarginine (NMeR), N-methylleucine (NMeL), N-methylhomolysine (NMeHoK), N-methylglutamine (NMeQ), norleucine (Nle), norvaline (Nva), 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline (Tic), nitrophenylalanine (nitrophe), aminophenylalanine (aminophe), benzylphenyalanine (benzylphe), γ-carboxyglutamic acid (γ-carboxyglu), hydroxyproline (hydroxypro), p-carboxyl-phenylalanine (Cpa), α-aminoadipic acid (Aad), acetylarginine (acetylarg), α, β-diaminopropionoic acid (Dpr), α, γ-diaminobutyric acid (Dab), diaminopropionic acid (Dap), β-(1-Naphthyl)-alanine (1Na1), β-(2-Naphthyl)-alanine (2Na1), cyclohexylalanine (Cha), 4-methyl-phenylalanine (MePhe), β,β-diphenyl-alanine (BiPhA), aminobutyric acid (Abu), 4-phenyl-phenylalanine (4Bip), α-amino-isobutyric acid (Aib), beta-alanine, beta-aminopropionic acid, piperidinic acid, aminocaprioic acid, aminoheptanoic acid, aminopimelic acid, desmosine, diaminopimelic acid, N-ethylglycine, N-ethylaspargine, hyroxylysine, allo-hydroxylysine, isodesmosine, allo-isoleucine, N-methylglycine, N-methylisoleucine, N-methylvaline, 4-hydroxyproline, γ-carboxyglutamate, ε-N,N,N-trimethyllysine, ε-N-acetyllysine, O-phosphoserine, N-acetylserine, N-formylmethionine, 3-methylhistidine, 5-hydroxylysine, ω-methylarginine, and other similar amino acids, and derivatized forms of any of these as described herein.

Nomenclature and Symbolism for Amino Acids and Peptides by the UPAC-IUB Joint Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature (JCBN) have been published in the following documents: Biochem. J., 1984, 219, 345-373; Eur. J. Biochem., 1984, 138, 9-37; 1985, 152, 1; 1993, 213, 2; Internat. J. Pept. Prot. Res., 1984, 24, following p 84; J. Biol. Chem., 1985, 260,14-42; Pure Appl. Chem., 1984, 56, 595-624; Amino Acids and Peptides, 1985, 16, 387-410; Biochemical Nomenclature and Related Documents, 2nd edition, Portland Press, 1992, pages 39-69. The term “protease” is synonymous with “peptidase”. Proteases comprise two groups of enzymes: the endopeptidases which cleave peptide bonds at points within the protein, and the exopeptidases, which remove one or more amino acids from either N- or C-terminus respectively. The term “proteinase” is also used as a synonym for endopeptidase. The four mechanistic classes of proteinases are: serine proteinases, cysteine proteinases, aspartic proteinases, and metallo-proteinases. In addition to these four mechanistic classes, there is a section of the enzyme nomenclature which is allocated for proteases of unidentified catalytic mechanism. This indicates that the catalytic mechanism has not been identified.

Cleavage subsite nomenclature is commonly adopted from a scheme created by Schechter and Berger (Schechter I. & Berger A., On the size of the active site in proteases. I. Papain, Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communication, 27:157 (1967); Schechter I. & Berger A., On the active site of proteases. 3. Mapping the active site of papain; specific inhibitor peptides of papain, Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communication, 32:898 (1968)). According to this model, amino acid residues in a substrate undergoing cleavage are designated P1, P2, P3, P4 etc. in the N-terminal direction from the cleaved bond. Likewise, the residues in the C-terminal direction are designated P1′, P2′, P3′, P4′. etc.

The skilled artisan is aware of a variety of tools for identifying protease binding or protease cleavage sites of interest. For example, the PeptideCutter software tool is available through the ExPASy (Expert Protein Analysis System) proteomics server of the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB; expasy.org/tools/peptidecutter). PeptideCutter searches a protein sequence from the SWISS-PROT and/or TrEMBL databases or a user-entered protein sequence for protease cleavage sites. Single proteases and chemicals, a selection or the whole list of proteases and chemicals can be used. Different forms of output of the results are available: tables of cleavage sites either grouped alphabetically according to enzyme names or sequentially according to the amino acid number. A third option for output is a map of cleavage sites. The sequence and the cleavage sites mapped onto it are grouped in blocks, the size of which can be chosen by the user. Other tools are also known for determining protease cleavage sites. (E.g., Turk, B. et al., Determination of protease cleavage site motifs using mixture-based oriented peptide libraries, Nature Biotechnology, 19:661-667 (2001); Barrett A. et al., Handbook of proteolytic enzymes, Academic Press (1998)).

The serine proteinases include the chymotrypsin family, which includes mammalian protease enzymes such as chymotrypsin, trypsin or elastase or kallikrein. The serine proteinases exhibit different substrate specificities, which are related to amino acid substitutions in the various enzyme subsites interacting with the substrate residues. Some enzymes have an extended interaction site with the substrate whereas others have a specificity restricted to the P1 substrate residue.

Trypsin preferentially cleaves at R or K in position P1. A statistical study carried out by Keil (1992) described the negative influences of residues surrounding the Arg- and Lys-bonds (i.e. the positions P2 and P1′, respectively) during trypsin cleavage. (Keil, B., Specificity of proteolysis, Springer-Verlag Berlin-Heidelberg-N.Y., 335 (1992)). A proline residue in position P1′ normally exerts a strong negative influence on trypsin cleavage. Similarly, the positioning of R and K in P1′ results in an inhibition, as well as negatively charged residues in positions P2 and P1′.

Chymotrypsin preferentially cleaves at a W, Y or F in position P1 (high specificity) and to a lesser extent at L, M or H residue in position P1. (Keil, 1992). Exceptions to these rules are the following: When W is found in position P1, the cleavage is blocked when M or P are found in position P1′ at the same time. Furthermore, a proline residue in position P1′ nearly fully blocks the cleavage independent of the amino acids found in position P1. When an M residue is found in position P1, the cleavage is blocked by the presence of a Y residue in position P1′. Finally, when H is located in position P1, the presence of a D, M or W residue also blocks the cleavage.

Membrane metallo-endopeptidase (NEP; neutral endopeptidase, kidney-brush-border neutral proteinase, enkephalinase, EC 3.4.24.11) cleaves peptides at the amino side of hydrophobic amino acid residues. (Connelly, J C et al., Neutral Endopeptidase 24.11 in Human Neutrophils: Cleavage of Chemotactic Peptide, PNAS, 82(24):8737-8741 (1985)).

Thrombin preferentially cleaves at an R residue in position P1. (Keil, 1992). The natural substrate of thrombin is fibrinogen. Optimum cleavage sites are when an R residue is in position P1 and Gly is in position P2 and position P1′. Likewise, when hydrophobic amino acid residues are found in position P4 and position P3, a proline residue in position P2, an R residue in position P1, and non-acidic amino acid residues in position P1′ and position P2′. A very important residue for its natural substrate fibrinogen is a D residue in P10.

Caspases are a family of cysteine proteases bearing an active site with a conserved amino acid sequence and which cleave peptides specifically following D residues. (Earnshaw W C et al., Mammalian caspases: Structure, activation, substrates, and functions during apoptosis, Annual Review of Biochemistry, 68:383-424 (1999)).

The Arg-C proteinase preferentially cleaves at an R residue in position P1. The cleavage behavior seems to be only moderately affected by residues in position P1′. (Keil, 1992). The Asp-N endopeptidase cleaves specifically bonds with a D residue in position P1′. (Keil, 1992).

The foregoing is merely exemplary and by no means an exhaustive treatment of knowledge available to the skilled artisan concerning protease binding and/or cleavage sites that the skilled artisan may be interested in eliminating in practicing the invention.

The term “randomized” as used to refer to peptide sequences refers to random sequences (e.g., selected by phage display methods) and sequences in which one or more residues of a naturally occurring molecule is replaced by an amino acid residue not appearing in that position in the naturally occurring molecule. Exemplary methods for identifying peptide sequences include phage display, E. coli display, ribosome display, yeast-based screening, RNA-peptide screening, chemical screening, rational design, protein structural analysis, and the like.

A peptidomimetic can include a small peptide-like chain that contains one or more amide bond isosteres and can contain both natural and unnatural amino acids. Such peptide-like peptidomimetics typically arise from modification of an existing polypeptide or peptide in order to alter the molecule's properties. For example, they may arise from modifications to change the molecule's stability or biological activity. These modifications involve changes to the peptide that will not occur naturally (such as incorporation of unnatural amino acids). Alternatively, peptidomimetics include non-peptide small molecules having peptide-like biochemical or pharmacological activity and/or chemical structure, such as, but not limited to, steric structure. An example of such a peptidomimetic compound is BIBN 4096 BS.

The term “pharmacologically active” means that a substance so described is determined to have activity that affects a medical parameter (e.g., blood pressure, blood cell count, cholesterol level) or disease state (e.g., cancer, autoimmune disorders, neurological disorders, chronic pain). Thus, pharmacologically active peptides or polypeptides comprise agonistic or mimetic and antagonistic peptides as defined below.

The terms “-mimetic peptide” and “-agonist peptide” refer, respectively, to a peptide or polypeptide having biological activity comparable to a protein (e.g., EPO, TPO, G-CSF) of interest or to a peptide or polypeptide that interacts as an agonist with a particular protein of interest. These terms further include peptides or polypeptides that indirectly mimic the activity of a protein of interest, such as by potentiating the effects of the natural ligand of the protein of interest; see, for example, the EPO-mimetic peptides listed in Table 5 hereof and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,660,843, which is hereby incorporated by reference. Thus, the term “EPO-mimetic peptide” comprises any peptides or polypeptides that can be identified or derived as described in Wrighton et al. (1996), Science 273: 458-63, Naranda et al. (1999), Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96: 7569-74, or any other reference in Table 5 identified as having EPO-mimetic subject matter. Those of ordinary skill in the art appreciate that each of these references enables one to select different peptides or polypeptides than actually disclosed therein by following the disclosed procedures with different peptide libraries.

The term “-antagonist peptide” or “inhibitor peptide” refers to a peptide that blocks or in some way interferes with the biological activity of the associated protein of interest, or has biological activity comparable to a known antagonist or inhibitor of the associated protein of interest. Thus, the term “BAFF-antagonist peptide” comprises peptides that can be identified or derived as described in U.S. Pat. Appln. No. 2003/0195156 A1, which is incorporated herein by reference and those peptides appearing in Table 10. Those of ordinary skill in the art appreciate that the foregoing reference enables one to select different peptides than actually disclosed therein by following the disclosed procedures with different peptide libraries.

In the inventive composition of composition matter, the monomeric or multimeric Fc domain has at least one additional functional moiety that is covalently bound (or conjugated) to one or more “specifically selected” conjugation site(s) in the Fc domain. The term “specifically selected” with respect to conjugation site means that the major product or derivative of the conjugation chemistry (or chemical reaction) employed is through the side chain of an amino acid residue at the specifically selected conjugation site in the Fc domain. Minor reaction products can also result from the conjugation reaction, but these can be purified out, if desired or appropriate. “Toxin peptides” include peptides and polypeptides having the same amino acid sequence of a naturally occurring pharmacologically active peptide or polypeptide that can be isolated from a venom, and also include modified peptide analogs of such naturally occurring molecules. (See, e.g., Kalman et al., ShK-Dap22, a potent Kv1.3-specific immunosuppressive polypeptide, J. Biol. Chem. 273(49):32697-707 (1998); Kem et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,077,680; Mouhat et al., OsKl derivatives, WO 2006/002850 A2; Chandy et al., Analogs of SHK toxin and their uses in selective inhibition of Kv1.3 potassium channels, WO 2006/042151). Snakes, scorpions, spiders, bees, snails and sea anemone are a few examples of organisms that produce venom that can serve as a rich source of small bioactive toxin peptides or “toxins” that potently and selectively target ion channels and receptors.

The toxin peptides are usually between about 20 and about 80 amino acids in length, contain 2-5 disulfide linkages and form a very compact structure. Toxin peptides (e.g., from the venom of scorpions, sea anemones and cone snails) have been isolated and characterized for their impact on ion channels. Such peptides appear to have evolved from a relatively small number of structural frameworks that are particularly well suited to addressing the critical issues of potency and stability. The majority of scorpion and Conus toxin peptides, for example, contain 10-40 amino acids and up to five disulfide bonds, forming extremely compact and constrained structure (microproteins) often resistant to proteolysis. The conotoxin and scorpion toxin peptides can be divided into a number of superfamilies based on their disulfide connections and peptide folds. The solution structure of many of these has been determined by NMR spectroscopy, illustrating their compact structure and verifying conservation of their family fold. (E.g., Tudor et al., Ionisation behaviour and solution properties of the potassium-channel blocker ShK toxin, Eur. J. Biochem. 251(1-2):133-41 (1998); Pennington et al., Role of disulfide bonds in the structure and potassium channel blocking activity of ShK toxin, Biochem. 38(44): 14549-58 (1999); Jaravine et al., Three-dimensional structure of toxin OSK1 from Orthochirus scrobiculosus scorpion venom, Biochem. 36(6):1223-32 (1997); del Rio-Portillo et al.; NMR solution structure of Cn12, a novel peptide from the Mexican scorpion Centruroides noxius with a typical beta-toxin sequence but with alpha-like physiological activity, Eur. J. Biochem. 271(12): 2504-16 (2004); Prochnicka-Chalufour et al., Solution structure of discrepin, a new K+-channel blocking peptide from the alpha-KTx15 subfamily, Biochem. 45(6):1795-1804 (2006)). Examples of pharmacologically active toxin peptides for which the practice of the present invention can be useful include, but are not limited to ShK, OSK1, charybdotoxin (ChTx), kaliotoxin1 KTX1), or maurotoxin, or toxin peptide analogs of any of these, modified from the native sequences at one or more amino acid residues. Other examples are known in the art, or can be found in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/406,454 (titled: Toxin Peptide Therapeutic Agents), filed on Apr. 17, 2006, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The term “TPO-mimetic peptide” comprises peptides that can be identified or derived as described in Cwirla et al. (1997), Science 276: 1696-9, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,869,451 and 5,932,946, which are incorporated by reference; U.S. Pat. App. No. 2003/0176352, published Sep. 18, 2003, which is incorporated by reference; WO 03/031589, published Apr. 17, 2003; WO 00/24770, published May 4, 2000; and any peptides appearing in Table 6. Those of ordinary skill in the art appreciate that each of these references enables one to select different peptides than actually disclosed therein by following the disclosed procedures with different peptide libraries.

The term “ang-2-binding peptide” comprises peptides that can be identified or derived as described in U.S. Pat. App. No. 2003/0229023, published Dec. 11, 2003; WO 03/057134, published Jul. 17, 2003; U.S. 2003/0236193, published Dec. 25, 2003 (each of which is incorporated herein by reference); and any peptides appearing in Table 7. Those of ordinary skill in the art appreciate that each of these references enables one to select different peptides than actually disclosed therein by following the disclosed procedures with different peptide libraries.

The term “NGF-binding peptide” comprises peptides that can be identified or derived as described in WO 04/026329, published Apr. 1, 2004 and any peptides identified in Table 8. Those of ordinary skill in the art appreciate that this reference enables one to select different peptides than actually disclosed therein by following the disclosed procedures with different peptide libraries.

The term “myostatin-binding peptide” comprises peptides that can be identified or derived as described in U.S. Ser. No. 10/742,379, filed Dec. 19, 2003, which is incorporated herein by reference, and peptides appearing in Table 9. Those of ordinary skill in the art appreciate that each of these references enables one to select different peptides than actually disclosed therein by following the disclosed procedures with different peptide libraries.

“PEGylated peptide” is meant a peptide or protein having a polyethylene glycol (PEG) moiety covalently bound to an amino acid residue of the peptide itself or to a peptidyl or non-peptidyl linker (including but not limited to aromatic linkers) that is covalently bound to a residue of the peptide.

By “polyethylene glycol” or “PEG” is meant a polyalkylene glycol compound or a derivative thereof, with or without coupling agents or derivatization with coupling or activating moieties (e.g., with aldehyde, hydroxysuccinimidyl, hydrazide, thiol, triflate, tresylate, azirdine, oxirane, orthopyridyl disulphide, vinylsulfone, iodoacetamide or a maleimide moiety). In accordance with the present invention, useful PEG includes substantially linear, straight chain PEG, branched PEG, or dendritic PEG. (See, e.g., Merrill, U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,264; Harris et al., Multiarmed, monofunctional, polymer for coupling to molecules and surfaces, U.S. Pat. No. 5,932,462; Shen, N-maleimidyl polymer derivatives, U.S. Pat. No. 6,602,498).

Additionally, physiologically acceptable salts of the compounds of this invention are also encompassed herein. By “physiologically acceptable salts” is meant any salts that are known or later discovered to be pharmaceutically acceptable. Some examples are: acetate; trifluoroacetate; hydrohalides, such as hydrochloride and hydrobromide; sulfate; citrate; maleate; tartrate; glycolate; gluconate; succinate; mesylate; besylate; and oxalate salts.

General Methodology

The present invention relates to a process for preparing a pharmacologically active compound involving selecting at least one internal conjugation site of an Fc domain sequence. The conjugation site must be amenable to conjugation of an additional functional moiety by a defined conjugation chemistry through the side chain of an amino acid residue at the conjugation site. Achieving highly selective, site-specific conjugation to Fc, in accordance with the present invention, requires consideration of a diverse variety of design criteria. First, the conjugation partner, i.e., the additional functional moiety (or moieties) of interest, and a preferred conjugation or coupling chemistry must be defined or predetermined. Functional moieties such as, but not limited to, proteins, peptides, polymers or other non-peptide organic moieties (e.g., “small molecules”), can be conjugated or coupled to the selected conjugation site through an assortment of different conjugation chemistries known in the art. For example, a maleimide-activated conjugation partner targeting an accessible cysteine thiol on the Fc domain is one embodiment, but numerous conjugation or coupling chemistries targeting the side chains of either canonical or non-canonical, e.g., unnatural amino acids in the Fc domain sequence, can be employed in accordance with the present invention.

Chemistries for the chemoselective conjugation, in accordance with the present invention, to specifically derivatized peptides, polymers, small molecules, or other agents to engineer proteins displaying novel and specifically reactive side chain functionality include: copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne [3+2] dipolar cycloadditions, Staudinger ligation, other acyl transfers processes (S→N; X→N), oximations, hydrazone bonding formation and other suitable organic chemistry reactions such as cross-couplings using water-soluble palladium catalysts. (E.g., Bong et al., Chemoselective Pd(0)-catalyzed peptide coupling in water, Organic Letters 3(16):2509-11 (2001); Dibowski et al., Bioconjugation of peptides by palladium-catalyzed C—C cross-coupling in water, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 37(4):476-78 (1998); DeVasher et al., Aqueous-phase, palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling of aryl bromides under mild conditions, using water-soluble, sterically demanding alkylphosphines, J. Org. Chem. 69:7919-27 (2004); Shaugnessy et al., J. Org. Chem., 2003, 68, 6767-6774; Prescher, J A and Bertozzi C R, Chemistry in living system, Nature Chemical Biology 1(1); 13-21 (2005)). Some useful conjugation chemistries are illustrated in Table 1B below.

Table 1B. Some useful conjugation chemistries. Citations: 17=Link et al., Presentation and detection of azide functionality in bacterial cell surface proteins, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 126:10598-602 (2004); 19=Chen et al., Site-specific labeling of cell surface proteins with biophysical probes using biotin ligase, Nat. Methods 2:99-104 (2005); 20=Zhang et al., A new strategy for the site-specific modification of proteins in vivo, Biochemistry 42:6735-46 (2003); 22=Mahal et al., Engineering chemical reactivity on cell surfaces through oligosaccharide biosynthesis, Science 276:1125-28 (1997); 25=Kho et al., A tagging-via-substrate technology for detection and proteomics of farnesylated proteins, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101:12479-484 (2004); 26=Speers et al., Activity-based protein profiling in vivo using a copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne [3+2] cycloaddition, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 125:4686-87 (2003); 29=Speers et al., Profiling enzyme activities in vivo using click chemistry, methods, Chem. Biol. 11:535-46 (2004); 30=Prescher et al., Chemical remodeling of cell surfaces in living animals, Nature 430:873-77 (2004); 34=Agard et al., A strain-promoted [3+2] azide-alkyne cycloaddition for covalent modification of biomolecules in living systems, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 126:15046-47 (2004).

TABLE 1B

Protein^(19,20) H₂N—O—R′

Glycan²² R—N₃ Azide

Protein^(17,26)

Glycan^(30,34)

Lipid²⁵

‘Click’ chemistry N₃—R′, Cu(I), ligand

Protein²⁹

As mentioned above, the conjugation (or covalent binding) to the Fc domain is through the side chain of an amino acid residue at the conjugation site, for example, but not limited to, a cysteinyl residue. The amino acid residue, for example, a cysteinyl residue, at the internal conjugation site that is selected can be one that occupies the same amino acid residue position in a native Fc domain sequence, or the amino acid residue can be engineered into the Fc domain sequence by substitution or insertion. Such amino acid residues can have either L or D stereochemistry (except for Gly, which is neither L nor D) and the polypeptides, peptides and compositions of the present invention can comprise a combination of stereochemistries. However, the L stereochemistry is preferred. The invention also provides reverse molecules wherein the amino terminal to carboxy terminal sequence of the amino acids is reversed. For example, the reverse of a molecule having the normal sequence X₁-X₂-X₃ would be X₃-X₂-X₁. The invention also provides retro-reverse molecules wherein, as above, the amino terminal to carboxy terminal sequence of amino acids is reversed and residues that are normally “L” enantiomers are altered to the “D” stereoisomer form.

Stereoisomers (e.g., D-amino acids) of the twenty canonical amino acids, and other non-canonical amino acids, described herein, such as unnatural amino acids, can also be suitable components for polypeptide or peptide portions of certain embodiments of the inventive composition of matter.

Other examples of unnatural amino acid residues that can be particularly useful as the conjugation site in some embodiments of the inventive processes and compositions of matter include: azido-containing amino acid residues, e.g., azidohomoalanine, p-azido-phenylalanine; keto-containing amino acid residues, e.g., p-acetyl-phenylalanine; alkyne-containing amino acid residues, e.g., p-ethynylphenylalanine, homopropargylglycine, p-(prop-2-ynyl)-tyrosine; alkene-containing amino acid residues e.g., homoallylglycine; aryl halide-containing amino acid residues e.g. p-iodophenylalanine, p-bromophenylalanine; and 1,2-aminothiol containing amino acid residues.

The non-canonical amino acid residues can be incorporated by amino acid substitution or insertion. Non-canonical amino acid residues can be incorporated into the peptide by chemical peptide synthesis rather than by synthesis in biological systems, such as recombinantly expressing cells, or alternatively the skilled artisan can employ known techniques of protein engineering that use recombinantly expressing cells. (See, e.g., Link et al., Non-canonical amino acids in protein engineering, Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 14(6):603-609 (2003); Schultz et al., In vivo incorporation of unnatural amino acids, U.S. Pat. No. 7,045,337).

The selection of the placement of the conjugation site in the overall Fc sequence is another important facet of selecting an internal conjugation site in accordance with the present invention. Any of the exposed amino acid residues on the Fc surface, or either of the Fc CH2 or CH3 loop regions or subdomains can be potentially useful conjugation sites (FIG. 1) and can be mutated to cysteine or some other reactive amino acid for site-selective coupling, if not already present at the selected conjugation site of the Fc domain sequence. However, this approach does not take into account potential steric constraints that may perturb the activity of the fusion partner or limit the reactivity of the engineered mutation. For example, a cysteine engineered to be fully solvent-exposed may become oxidized during purification, leaving little or no reactive thiol for conjugation. Furthermore, the mutation introduced for conjugation, be it cysteine or any other amino acid, should not destabilize the Fc structure or interfere with expression or recovery yields of the Fc analog. Finally, in the case of an intact Fc domain, selected conjugation sites should be allosteric to the Fc dimer interface, if present. Also, some therapeutic applications may further benefit by maintaining conjugation sites distal to the Fc receptor (FcRn) interface.

In this invention a detailed topographical survey of the immunoglobulin Fc surface structure is described, which identifies solvent exposed amino acids representing potentially suitable conjugation sites for chemically coupling proteins, peptides, polymers or other small molecules (FIG. 1). In this analysis, not all the hydrophilic, solvent-exposed residues were deemed suitable for conjugation. In fact, only 36 residues of a possible 115 were selected based on their juxtaposition with the FcRn binding and dimer interfaces as well as other localized steric constraints. The list of potential conjugation sites was further refined using the available Fc domain crystal structures, their receptors and numerous Fc sequence alignments to map all of the putative Fc structural loop regions (FIG. 2, boldface). Specific residues that are most suitable for substitution within these loop region were identified by homology modeling and solvent accessibility (FIG. 2, underlined). Finally, each of these potential conjugation sites were ranked based on their juxtaposition relative to the FcRn and dimer interface, inter-species and isotype homologies and the sites' proximity and involvement in key elements of Fc secondary structure (Table 2). This approach using structure-based homology modeling to identify Fc loop regions and to predict insertion-tolerant mutation sites has been previously validated using therapeutic peptide insertions as described in Amgen patent application U.S. Prov. Appln. No. 60/612,680 filed Sep. 24, 2004. (See, WO 2006/036834) Based on that work, the most preferred mutation sites are Thr140, Asn78 and Glu50 (FIG. 2; amino acid residue positions cited relate to reference sequence SEQ ID NO:599).

To compare the preferred conjugation sites selected from the solvent exposed surface residues highlighted in FIG. 1, with the boldfaced putative loop regions and the underlined preferred conjugation sites within those loops (FIG. 2), the two sequences were aligned and mapped to the human IgG1 Fc domain as shown in FIG. 3. Here emerges a very consistent agreement between the surface exposure model and the loop model for selecting potential conjugation sites. Clearly, these examples demonstrate that through a detailed structural analysis and comparison of immunoglobulin Fc domains it is possible to identify an experimentally manageable number of potential conjugation sites that are not readily obvious from simple hydrophobic maps of the sequence.

Another subset of preferred mutations for coupling specifically addresses the use of cysteine analogs wherein the free thiol functionality must be preserved for efficient conjugation. This strategy presumes that cysteine mutations should be engineered into comparatively rigid elements of secondary structure, as opposed to loop regions, and the cysteine thiol should be juxtaposed within a pocket on the protein surface, providing minimal solvent exposure, to help protect it from oxidation. This strategy has been effectively demonstrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,420,339. Under this approach, the most preferred residues for cysteine mutation are, but not limited to, Ser196, Gln143, Leu139 and Ser145 of the human Fc sequence (FIG. 4), with the positions recited being relative to reference sequence SEQ ID NO: 599.

The inventors further envision as part of this invention that none of these potential conjugation sites require a full-length immunoglobulin Fc domain to provide suitable substrates for coupling proteins, peptides, polymers, or other small molecules. In fact, any truncation of Fc that still includes a potential conjugation site recognized by this invention can be used for conjugation. For example, a CH2 subdomain or CH3 subdomain of an Fc greater than about 9 kD can be a useful “Fc domain” in accordance with the invention. Thus, this invention includes isolated Fc truncations, such as the CH2 or CH3 loop regions or subdomains. Further, given the highly conserved three-dimensional structure of the “immunoglobulin fold” equivalent conjugation sites can be readily deduced in other Ig Fc isotypes, truncations and subdomains, by sequence alignment and are therefore included in this invention.

Table 2 shows human Fc surface residues (using Protein Database file 1FC1 as the data source) (S239 from the PDB file corresponds to S19 of reference sequence SEQ ID NO:600 and S20 of reference sequence SEQ ID NO:599; K246 corresponds to K26 of SEQ ID NO:600 and K27 of SEQ ID NO:599, etc.).

TABLE 2 Human Fc surface residues, wherein 239S (i.e., S239) corresponds to S20 of reference sequence SEQ ID NO: 599. 239S 289T 333E 382E* 419Q+ 246K 290K 334K 383S 420G+ 248K* 292R 335T 384N 421N+ 249D 293E 337S 385G* 424S 254S* 294Q 338K 386Q* 430E 255R* 295Q+ 339A 388E 431A 256T* 296Y 340K+ 389N+ 433H* 258E 297N+ 341G+ 390N 434N* 260T 298S+ 342Q+ 391Y 435H* 265D+ 299T 344R 392K+ 436Y* 267S+ 300Y 345E 393T 437T 268H+ 307T* 347Q 394T# 438Q* 269E+ 310H* 350T 399D# 439K 270D 311Q* 354S 400S+ 440S 272Q+ 312N 355R+ 401N 442S+ 274K+ 315D 356E+ 402G+ 276N 316G 359T+ 403S 278Y 317K 360K+ 407Y# 280D+ 318E+ 361N+ 409K# 281G+ 320K 362Q+ 411T 283Q 322K 371G 413D+ 285H 324S 373Y 414K+ 286N 326K+ 375S 415S+ 287A 327A 376D 416R+ 288K* 330A+ 380E 418Q+ *indicates likely FcRn interacting residues based on rat structures (not good candidates); #indicates dimer interaction domains (not good candidates); +indicates best candidates for modification.

Table 3 below shows prioritized sites for mutation or modification in the predicted loop regions of human IgG1 Fc domain. Amino acid residue positions are numbered here in relation to reference sequence SEQ ID NO: 599.

TABLE 3 Prioritized sites for mutation or modification in the predicted loop regions of human IgG1 Fc domain. Domain Loop Insertion CH2 D₄₆-E₅₃ H₄₉/E₅₀ - 1^(st) E₅₀/D₅₁ - 2^(nd) CH2 E₇₄-T₈₀ Y₇₇/N₇₈ - 1^(st) N₇₈/S₇₉ - 2^(nd) CH2-CH3 linker N₁₀₆-P₁₂₇ K₁₀₇/A₁₀₈ - 1^(st) N₁₀₆/K₁₀₇ - 2^(nd) CH3 D₁₃₇-K₁₄₁ L₁₃₉/T₁₄₀ - 1^(st) E₁₃₈/L₁₃₉ - 2^(nd) CH3 N₁₆₅-N₁₇₇ E₁₆₉/N₁₇₀ - 1^(st) N₁₇₀/N₁₇₁ - 2^(nd) CH3 T₁₇₅-S₁₈₄ S₁₈₁/D₁₈₂ - 1^(st) V₁₇₈/L₁₇₉ - 2^(nd) CH3 K₁₉₅-V₂₀₃ G₂₀₁/N₂₀₂ - 1^(st) N₂₀₂/V₂₀₃ - 2^(nd) CH3 NA Q₁₆₇/P₁₆₈ CH3 NA G₁₈₃/S₁₈₄

In summary, this specification details a systematic approach to the identification of useful conjugation sites on the surface of immunoglobulin Fc and includes all the mutation sites described herein. The identification of specific conjugation sites derives from the application of structural and sequence data to a detailed set of structure/function criteria developed by these inventors.

Structure of Inventive Compounds

Fc Domains. This inventive composition requires the presence of at least one Fc domain monomer, but multimeric Fc embodiments (e.g., Fc domain dimers, trimers, tetramers, pentamers, etc.) are also preferred. Both native Fcs and Fc variants are suitable Fc domains for use within the scope of this invention, as are Fc domains comprised in antibodies. A native Fc may be extensively modified to form an Fc variant in accordance with this invention, provided binding to the salvage receptor is maintained; see, for example WO 97/34631 and WO 96/32478. In some useful embodiments, one can remove one or more sites of a native Fc that provide structural features or functional activity not required by a molecule of this invention, such as a fusion molecule. One may remove these sites by, for example, substituting or deleting amino acid residues, inserting residues into the site, or truncating portions containing the site. The inserted or substituted residues may also be altered amino acids, such as peptidomimetics or D-amino acids. Fc variants may be desirable for a number of reasons, several of which are described below.

Exemplary Fc variants include molecules and sequences in which:

-   1. Sites involved in disulfide bond formation are removed. Such     removal may avoid reaction with other cysteine-containing proteins     present in the host cell used to produce the molecules of the     invention. For this purpose, the cysteine-containing segment at the     N-terminus may be truncated or cysteine residues may be deleted or     substituted with other amino acids (e.g., alanyl, seryl). For     example, one may truncate the N-terminal segment (truncations up to     about the first 20-amino acid residues of reference sequence SEQ ID     NO: 599 or SEQ ID NO:600) or delete or substitute the cysteine     residues at positions 7 and 10 of SEQ ID NO: 599 (positions 6 and 9     of SEQ ID NO:600). Even when cysteine residues are removed, the     single chain Fc domains can still form a dimeric Fc domain that is     held together non-covalently. -   2. A native Fc is modified to make it more compatible with a     selected host cell. For example, one may remove the PA sequence near     the N-terminus of a typical native Fc, which may be recognized by a     digestive enzyme in E. coli such as proline iminopeptidase. One may     also add an N-terminal methionine residue, especially when the     molecule is expressed recombinantly in a bacterial cell such as E.     coli. The Fc domain of reference sequence SEQ ID NO: 599 (FIG. 2) is     one such Fc variant, in which a methionine has been added to the     N-terminal of SEQ ID NO: 600. -   3. A portion of the N-terminus of a native Fc is removed to prevent     N-terminal heterogeneity when expressed in a selected host cell. For     this purpose, one may delete any or all of the first 20 amino acid     residues at the N-terminus, particularly those corresponding to     positions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of reference sequence SEQ ID NO: 600. -   4. One or more glycosylation sites are removed. Residues that are     typically glycosylated (e.g., asparagine) may confer cytolytic     response. Such residues may be deleted or substituted with     unglycosylated residues (e.g., alanine) -   5. Sites involved in interaction with complement, such as the Clq     binding site, are removed. For example, one may delete or substitute     the EKK sequence of human IgG1. Complement recruitment may not be     advantageous for the molecules of this invention and so may be     avoided with such an Fc variant. -   6. Sites are removed that affect binding to Fc receptors other than     a salvage receptor. A native Fc may have sites for interaction with     certain white blood cells that are not required for the fusion     molecules of the present invention and so may be removed. -   7. The ADCC site is removed. ADCC sites are known in the art; see,     for example, Molec. Immunol. 29 (5): 633-9 (1992) with regard to     ADCC sites in IgG1. These sites, as well, are not required for the     fusion molecules of the present invention and so may be removed. -   8. When the native Fc is derived from a non-human antibody, the     native Fc may be humanized. Typically, to humanize a native Fc, one     will substitute selected residues in the non-human native Fc with     residues that are normally found in human native Fc. Techniques for     antibody humanization are well known in the art.

Preferred Fc variants include the following. In reference sequence SEQ ID NO: 599 (FIG. 2) the leucine at position 15 may be substituted with glutamate; the glutamate at position 99, with alanine; and the lysines at positions 101 and 103, with alanines. In addition, one or more tyrosine residues can be replaced by phenyalanine residues.

In some preferred embodiments, the Fc domain is an IgG1 Fc domain comprising an amino acid sequence SEQ ID NO: 603:

Glu Pro Lys Ser Cys Asp Lys Thr H is Thr Cys Pro Pro Cys Pro Ala Pro Glu Leu Leu Gly Gly Pro Ser Val Phe Leu Phe Pro Pro Lys Pro Lys Asp Thr Leu Met Ile Ser Arg Thr Pro Glu Val Thr Cys Val Val Val Asp Val Ser H is Glu Asp Pro Glu Val Lys Phe Asn Trp Tyr Val Asp Gly Val Glu Val H is Asn Ala Lys Thr Lys Pro Arg Glu Glu Gln Tyr Asn Ser Thr Tyr Arg Val Val Ser Val Leu Thr Val Leu H is Gln Asp Tip Leu Asn Gly Lys Glu Tyr Lys Cys Lys Val Ser Asn Lys Ala Leu Pro Ala Pro Ile Glu Lys Thr Ile Ser Lys Ala Lys Gly Gln Pro Arg Glu Pro Gln Val Tyr Thr Leu Pro Pro Ser Arg Asp Glu Leu Thr Lys Asn Gln Val Ser Leu Thr Cys Leu Val Lys Gly Phe Tyr Pro Ser Asp Ile Ala Val Glu Tip Glu Ser Asn Gly Gln Pro Glu Asn Asn Tyr Lys Thr Thr Pro Pro Val Leu Asp Ser Asp Gly Ser Phe Phe Leu Tyr Ser Lys Leu Thr Val Asp Lys Ser Arg Trp Gln Gln Gly Asn Val Phe Ser Cys Ser Val Met H is Glu Ala Leu H is Asn H is Tyr Thr Gln Lys Ser Leu Ser Leu Ser Pro Gly Lys// (SEQ ID NO: 603); and the one or more specifically selected conjugation site(s) is selected from an amino acid residue position contained in a loop region that comprises an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of

Pro Pro //SEQ ID NO: 601, Asp Val Ser H is Glu Asp Pro Glu//SEQ ID NO: 602, Val H is Asn Ala//SEQ ID NO: 604, Glu Glu Gln Tyr Asn Ser Thr//SEQ ID NO: 605, Val Leu H is Gln Asp Trp Leu Asn Gly Lys Glu//SEQ ID NO: 606, Asn Lys Ala Leu Pro Ala Pro Ile Glu Lys Thr Ile Ser Lys Ala Lys Gly Gln Pro Arg Glu Pro//SEQ ID NO: 607, Asp Glu Leu Thr Lys//SEQ ID NO: 608, Asn Gly Gln Pro Glu Asn Asn//SEQ ID NO: 609, Thr Thr Pro Pro Val Leu Asp Ser Asp Gly Ser//SEQ ID NO: 610,

and

Lys Ser Arg Trp Gln Gln Gly Asn Val //SEQ ID NO: 611.

In the compositions of matter prepared in accordance with this invention, at least one additional functional moiety is covalently bound to a monomeric or multimeric Fc domain through a specifically selected conjugation site involving an amino acid residue side chain selected as described herein. Optionally, other moieties, such as a polypeptide, peptide, peptidomimetic or non-peptide organic moiety can be attached to the Fc domain through the Fc domain's N-terminus (i.e., via the α-amino site) or C-terminus (i.e., via the α-carboxy site).

Certain embodiments of the molecules of this invention may be described by the following formula I:

wherein:

-   -   F¹ is a monomer of the monomeric or multimeric Fc domain;     -   X¹ is covalently bound to the N-terminus of F¹ through the         α-amino site of F¹;     -   X² is covalently bound to the C-terminus of F¹ through the         a-carboxy site of F¹;     -   X³ is covalently bound to the one or more specifically selected         conjugation site(s) in F¹ selected from the group consisting of         underlined residue positions in FIG. 1, boldface residue         positions in FIG. 2, highlighted residue positions in FIG. 3,         underlined residue positions in FIG. 3, and a cysteine residue         added to the Fc domain by substitution at an Fc site selected         from the group consisting of Leu139, Gln143, Ser145, and Ser196,         or, if g>1, any combination of these members;     -   X¹, X², and X³ are each independently selected from         -(L¹)_(c)-P⁰, -(L¹)_(c)-P¹, -(L¹)_(c)-P¹-(L²)_(d)-P²,         -(L¹)_(c)-P¹-(L²)_(d)-P²-(L³)_(e)-P³, and         -(L¹)_(c)-P¹-(L²)_(d)-P²-(L³)_(e)-P³-(L⁴)_(f)-P⁴;     -   P⁰, P¹, P³, and P⁴ are each independently selected from the         group consisting of:         -   i) a pharmaceutically acceptable polymer or dextran;         -   ii) a pharmacologically active polypeptide, peptide,             peptidomimetic, or non-peptide organic moiety;         -   iii) a radioisotope, an enzyme, a biotinyl moiety, a             fluorophore, or a chromophore; and         -   iv) an immobilized substrate, provided that in a chain             comprising more than one additional functional moieties, the             immobilized substrate is the moiety most distal from F¹, and             there can be no more than one immobilized substrate in the             chain;     -   L¹, L², L³, and L⁴ are each independently linkers;     -   a, b, c, d, e, and f are each independently 0 or 1; and         g is 1, 2, 3, or 4.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that more than one additional functional moieties (X³) can be attached to the Fc domain, and that the multiple X³ substituents may be the same or different; for example, comprising same or different P¹ functional moiety (i.e., a P¹ in a given formula may be the same or different from any other P¹, P², P³, or P⁴), different linkers attached to the same peptide sequence, and so on. Likewise, X¹ and X² may be the same, different, or absent (i.e., a and/or b=0), and the integers c through f may be different for X¹, X², and X³.

Thus, compounds of Formula I encompass, but are not limited to, exemplary embodiments of the inventive compounds of the following formulae (II)-(XXVIII):

multimers thereof, wherein a=1, b=0, F¹ is attached at the C-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide comprised in X¹, and X³ is attached through a specifically selected internal conjugation site in F¹;

and multimers thereof, wherein a=0, b=1, F¹ is attached at the N-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide comprised in X², and X³ is attached through a specifically selected internal conjugation site in F¹;

and multimers thereof, wherein a=0, b=1, F¹ is attached through the N-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P¹ comprised in -(L¹)_(c)-P¹ and -(L¹)_(c)-PEG is attached through a specifically selected internal conjugation site in F¹;

and multimers thereof, wherein a=0, b=1, F¹ is attached through the N-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P¹ comprised in -(L¹)_(c)-P¹-(L²)_(d)-P² and -(L¹)_(c)-PEG is attached through a specifically selected internal conjugation site in F¹;

and multimers thereof, wherein a=0, b=1, F¹ is attached through the N-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P⁰ comprised in -(L¹)_(c)-P⁰ and -(L¹)_(c)-PEG is attached through a specifically selected internal conjugation site in F¹;

and multimers thereof, wherein a=0, b=1, F¹ is attached through the N-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P⁰ comprised in -(L¹)_(c)-P⁰ and -(L¹)_(c)-P¹ is attached through a specifically selected internal conjugation site in F¹;

and multimers thereof, wherein a=0, b=1, F¹ is attached through the N-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P⁰ comprised in -(L¹)_(c)-P⁰ and -(L¹)_(c)-P¹-(L²)_(d)-P² is attached through a specifically selected internal conjugation site in F¹;

multimers thereof, wherein a=0, b=1, g=2, F¹ is attached through the N-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P⁰ comprised in -(L¹)_(c)-P⁰, and -(L¹)_(c)-PEG and -(L¹)_(c)-P¹ are each independently attached through specifically selected internal conjugation sites in F¹;

and multimers thereof, wherein a=0, b=1, g=2, F¹ is attached through the N-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P⁰ comprised in -(L¹)_(c)-P⁰ and -(L¹)_(c)-PEG and -(L¹)_(c)-P¹-(L²)_(d)-P² are each independently attached through specifically selected internal conjugation sites in F¹;

and multimers thereof, wherein a=0, b=1, F¹ is attached at the N-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide -P⁰, and -(L¹)_(c)-PEG and -(L¹)_(c)-P²-(L²)_(d)-P² are each independently attached through specifically selected internal conjugation sites in F¹.

and multimers thereof, wherein a=1, b=0, F¹ is attached through the C-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P¹ comprised in -(L¹)_(c)-P¹ and -(L¹)_(c)-PEG is attached through a specifically selected internal conjugation site in F¹;

multimers thereof, wherein a=1, b=0, F¹ is attached through the C-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P¹ comprised in -(L¹)_(c)-P¹-(L²)_(d)-P² and -(L¹)_(c)-PEG is attached through a specifically selected internal conjugation site in F¹;

and multimers thereof, wherein a=1, b=0, F¹ is attached through the C-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P⁰ comprised in -(L¹)_(c)-P⁰ and -(L¹)_(c)-PEG is attached through a specifically selected internal conjugation site in F¹;

and multimers thereof, wherein a=1, b=0, F¹ is attached through the C-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P⁰ comprised in -(L¹)_(c)-P⁰ and (L¹)_(c)-P¹ is attached through a specifically selected internal conjugation site in F¹;

and multimers thereof, wherein a=1, b=0, F¹ is attached through the C-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P⁰ comprised in -(L¹)_(c)-P⁰, and -(L¹)_(c)-P¹-(L²)_(d)-P² is attached through a specifically selected internal conjugation site in F¹;

and multimers thereof, wherein a=1, b=0, g=2, F¹ is attached through the C-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P⁰ comprised in -(L¹)_(c)-P⁰ and (L¹)_(c)-PEG and (L¹)_(c)-P¹ are each independently attached through specifically selected internal conjugation sites in F¹;

and multimers thereof, wherein a=1, b=0, g=2, F¹ is attached at the C-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide -P⁰ and -(L¹)_(c)-PEG and -(L¹)_(c)-P¹-(L²)_(d)-P² are each independently attached through specifically selected internal conjugation sites in F¹;

and multimers thereof, wherein a=1, b=0, g=2, F¹ is attached through the C-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P¹ comprised in -(L¹)_(c)-P¹, and -(L¹)_(c)-PEG and -(L¹)_(c)-P²-(L²)_(d)-P² are each independently attached through specifically selected internal conjugation sites in F¹;

and multimers thereof, wherein a=1, b=1, P⁰-(L¹)_(c)-F¹-(L¹)_(c)-P¹ is attached as written from the N-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P⁰ to the C-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P¹ and -(L¹)_(c)-PEG is attached through a specifically selected internal conjugation site in F¹;

and multimers thereof, wherein a=1, b=1, c=1, P⁰-(L¹)_(c)-F¹-(L¹)_(c)-P¹-(L²)_(d)-P² is attached as written from the N-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P⁰ to the C-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P¹ (if P¹ but not P² is a polypeptide or peptide) or P² (if both P¹ and P² are a polypeptide or peptide) and -(L¹)_(c)-PEG is attached through a specifically selected internal conjugation site in F¹;

and multimers thereof, wherein a=1, b=1, P⁰-F¹-(L¹)_(c)-P¹-(L²)_(d)-P² is attached as written from the N-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P⁰ to the C-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P¹ (if P¹ but not P² is a polypeptide or peptide) or P² (if both P¹ and P² are a polypeptide or peptide), and -(L¹)_(c)-PEG is attached through a specifically selected internal conjugation site in F¹;

and multimers thereof, wherein a=1, b=1, c=1, P¹-(L¹)_(c)-F¹-(L¹)_(c)-P⁰ is attached as written from the N-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P¹ to the C-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P⁰ and -(L¹)_(c)-PEG is attached through a specifically selected internal conjugation site in F¹;

and multimers thereof, wherein a=1, b=1, c=1, P¹-(L¹)_(c)-F¹-(L¹)_(c)-P⁰ is attached as written from the N-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P¹ to the C-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P⁰ and (L¹)_(c)-P¹ is attached through a specifically selected internal conjugation site in F¹;

and multimers thereof, wherein a=1, b=1, c=1, P¹-(L¹)_(c)-F¹-(L¹)_(c)-P⁰ is attached as written from the N-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P¹ to the C-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P⁰, and -(L¹)_(c)-P¹-(L²)_(d)-P² is attached through a specifically selected internal conjugation site in F¹;

and multimers thereof, wherein a=1, b=1, c=1, P¹-(L¹)_(c)-F¹-(L¹)_(c)-P⁰ is attached as written from the N-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P¹ to the C-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P⁰ and -(L¹)_(c)-PEG and -(L¹)_(c)-P¹ are each independently attached through specifically selected internal conjugation sites in F¹;

and multimers thereof, wherein a=1, b=1, c=1, P¹-(L¹)_(c)-F¹-(L¹)_(c)-P⁰ is attached as written from the N-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P¹ to the C-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P⁰, and -(L¹)_(c)-PEG and -(L¹)_(c)-P¹-(L²)_(d)-P² are each independently attached through specifically selected internal conjugation sites in F¹; and

and multimers thereof, wherein a=1, b=1, c=1, P¹-(L¹)_(c)-F¹-(L¹)_(c)-P⁰ is attached as written from the N-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P¹ to the C-terminus of a polypeptide or peptide P⁰, and the second -(L¹)_(c)-P¹ and (L¹)_(c)-P²-(L²)_(d)-P² are each independently attached through specifically selected internal conjugation sites in F¹.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the composition of matter is an antibody modified, which comprises at least one additional functional moiety (X³) covalently bound to the Fc domain of the antibody through one or more specifically selected conjugation site(s) in the Fc domain. The conjugation site, or sites, are selected from: underlined residue positions in FIG. 1, boldface residue positions in FIG. 2, highlighted residue positions in FIG. 3, underlined residue positions in FIG. 3, or a cysteine residue added to the Fc domain by substitution at an Fc site selected from the group consisting of Leu139, Gln143, Ser145, and Serl 96, or, if there is more than one X³, any combination of these members. X³ is selected from -(L¹)_(c)-P⁰, -(L¹)_(c)-P¹, -(L¹)_(c)-P¹-(L²)_(d)-P², -(L¹)_(c)-P¹-(L²)_(d)-P²-(L³)_(e)-P³, and -(L¹)_(c)-P¹-(L²)_(d)-P²-(L³)_(e)-P³-(L⁴)_(f)-P⁴;

-   -   P⁰, P¹, P², P³, and P⁴ are each independently selected from the         group consisting of:         -   i) a pharmaceutically acceptable polymer or dextran;         -   ii) a pharmacologically active polypeptide, peptide,             peptidomimetic, or non-peptide organic moiety;         -   iii) a radioisotope, an enzyme, a biotinyl moiety, a             fluorophore, or a chromophore; and         -   iv) an immobilized substrate, provided that in a chain             comprising more than one additional functional moieties, the             immobilized substrate is the moiety most distal from the Fc             domain, and there can be no more than one immobilized             substrate in the chain;     -   L¹, L², L³, and L⁴ are each independently linkers;     -   c, d, e, and f are each independently 0 or 1.

Additional functional moiety or moieties (X³)

Some embodiments of the additional functional moiety, or moieties, (i.e., P⁰, P¹, P², P³, P⁴), that can be conjugated to the Fc domain, in accordance with the present invention, will now be exemplified in greater detail.

Polypeptides or peptides. One or more additional functional moieties is conjugated to the Fc domain molecules of this invention. Such additional functional moieties can include a polypeptide, a peptide, an antibody, antibody fragment, (or a non-peptide organic molecule “small molecules”, e.g., a peptidomimetic compound) capable of binding to a salvage receptor. For example, one can use as a functional moiety a polypeptide as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,739,277, issued Apr. 14, 1998 to Presta et al. Peptides of interest can also be selected by phage display for binding to the FcRn salvage receptor. Such salvage receptor-binding compounds are also included within the meaning of “functional moiety” in this invention. Such functional moieties can be selected, for example, for increased half-life (e.g., by avoiding sequences recognized by proteases) and decreased immunogenicity (e.g., by favoring non-immunogenic sequences, as discovered in antibody humanization).

In other embodiments, a variety of other peptides or polypeptides can be used as the additional functional moiety in conjunction with the present invention. Exemplary polypeptides that can be used include those mentioned as fusion partners in Table 1 hereinabove. Preferred polypeptides have therapeutic utility and include the human proteins anakinra, sTNF-R2, sTNF-R1, CTLA4, OPG, GDNF, PTH fragments, glucagons fragments, GLP-1, and the like. Accordingly, a preferred polypeptide sequence is the sTNF-R2 sequence below:

(SEQ ID NO: 617) QICNVVAIPGNASMDAVCTSTSPTRSMAPGAVHLPQPVSTRSQHTQPTPE PSTAPSTSFLLPMGPSPPAEGSTGDFALPVGLIVGVTALGLLIIGVVNCV IMTQVKKKPLCLQREAKVPHLPADKARGTQGPEQQHLLITAPSSSSSSLE SSASALDRRAPTRNQPQAPGVEASGAGEARASTGSSDSSPGGHGTQVNVT CIVNVCSSSDHSSQCSSQASSTMGDTDSSPSESPKDEQVPFSKEECAFRS QLETPETLLGSTEEKPLPLGVPDAGMKPS//

In accordance with the present invention, one may modify Fc fusion proteins comprising such polypeptides by adding an additional functional moiety such as PEG through a selected site in the Fc domain. In this way, for example, a PEGylated derivative of etanercept is within the scope of this invention in which the PEG molecule is attached through a selected site in the Fc domain of etanercept. Such a molecule can be described by formula XIV above in which P⁰-(L¹)_(c)-F¹ encodes etanercept (wherein P⁰ is SEQ ID NO: 618:

1 Leu-Pro-Ala-Gln-Val-Ala-Phe-Thr-Pro-Tyr-

11 Ala-Pro-Glu-Pro-Gly-Ser-Thr-Cys-Arg-Leu-

21 Arg-Glu-Tyr-Tyr-Asp-Gln-Thr-Ala-Gln-Met-

31 Cys-Cys-Ser-Lys-Cys-Ser-Pro-Gly-Gln-His-

41 Ala-Lys-Val-Phe-Cys-Thr-Lys-Thr-Ser-Asp-

51 Thr-Val-Cys-Asp-Ser-Cys-Glu-Asp-Ser-Thr-

61 Tyr-Thr-Gln-Leu-Trp-Asn-Trp-Val-Pro-Glu-

71 Cys-Leu-Ser-Cys-Gly-Ser-Arg-Cys-Ser-Ser-

81 Asp-Gln-Val-Glu-Thr-Gln-Ala-Cys-Thr-Arg-

91 Glu-Gln-Asn-Arg-Ile-Cys-Thr-Cys-Arg-Pro-

101 Gly-Trp-Tyr-Cys-Ala-Leu-Ser-Lys-Gln-Glu-

111 Gly-Cys-Arg-Leu-Cys-Ala-Pro-Leu-Arg-Lys-

121 Cys-Arg-Pro-Gly-Phe-Gly-Val-Ala-Arg-Pro-

131 Gly-Thr-Glu-Thr-Ser-Asp-Val-Val-Cys-Lys-

141 Pro-Cys-Ala-Pro-Gly-Thr-Phe-Ser-Asn-Thr-

151 Thr-Ser-S er-Thr-Asp-Ile-Cys-Arg-Pro-His-

161 Gln-Ile-Cys-Asn-Val-Val-Ala-Ile-Pro-Gly-

171 Asn-Ala-Ser-Met-Asp-Ala-Val-Cys-Thr-Ser-

181 Thr-Ser-Pro-Thr-Arg-Ser-Met-Ala-Pro-Gly-

191 Ala-Val-His-Leu-Pro-Gln-Pro-Val-Ser-Thr-

201 Arg-Ser-Gln-His-Thr-Gln-Pro-Thr-Pro-Glu-

211 Pro-Ser-Thr-Ala-Pro-Ser-Thr-Ser-Phe-Leu-

221 Leu-Pro-Met-Gly-Pro-Ser-Pro-Pro-Ala-Glu-

231 Gly-Ser-Thr-Gly-Asp-Glu-Pro-Lys-Ser-Cys-

241 Asp-Lys-Thr-His-Thr-Cys-Pro-Pro-Cys-Pro-

251 Ala-Pro-Glu-Leu-Leu-Gly-Gly-Pro-Ser-Val-

261 Phe-Leu-Phe-Pro-Pro-Lys-Pro-Lys-Asp-Thr-

271 Leu-M et-Ile-Ser-Arg-Thr-Pro-Glu-Val-Thr-

281 Cys-Val-Val-Val-Asp-Val-Ser-His-Glu-Asp-

291 Pro-Glu-Val-Lys-Phe-Asn-Trp-Tyr-Val-Asp-

301 Gly-Val-Glu-Val-His-Asn-Ala-Lys-Thr-Lys-

311 Pro-Arg-Glu-Glu-Gln-Tyr-Asn-Ser-Thr-Tyr-

321 Arg-Val-Val-Ser-Val-Leu-Thr-Val-Leu-His-

331 Gln-Asp-Trp-Leu-Asn-Gly-Lys-Glu-Tyr-Lys-

341 Cys-Lys-Val-Ser-Asn-Lys-Ala-Leu-Pro-Ala-

351 Pro-Ile-Glu-Lys-Thr-Ile-Ser-Lys-Ala-Lys-

361 Gly-Gln-Pro-Arg-Glu-Pro-Gln-Val-Tyr-Thr-

371 Leu-Pro-Pro-Ser-Arg-Glu-Glu-Met-Thr-Lys-

381 Asn-Gln-Val-Ser-Leu-Thr-Cys-Leu-Val-Lys-

391 Gly-Phe-Tyr-Pro-Ser-Asp-Ile-Ala-Val-Glu-

401 Trp-Glu-Ser-Asn-Gly-Gln-Pro-Glu-Asn-Asn-

411 Tyr-Lys-Thr-Thr-Pro-Pro-Val-Leu-Asp-Ser-

421 Asp-Gly-Ser-Phe-Phe-Leu-Tyr-Ser-Lys-Leu-

431 Thr-Val-Asp-Lys-S er-Arg-Trp-Gln-Gln-Gly-

441 Asn-Val-Phe-Ser-Cys-Ser-Val-Met-His-Glu-

451 Ala-Leu-His-Asn-His-Tyr-Thr-Gln-Lys-Ser-

461 Leu-Ser-Leu-Ser-Pro-Gly-Lys// SEQ ID NO: 618, and c is 0) or a molecule based on the etanercept sequence with one or more modified residues to enable linkage to the (L¹)_(c)-PEG substituent.

Also in accordance with this invention, a peptide or additional polypeptide functional moiety can be linked through a selected site in the Fc domain. Alternatively, the polypeptide-Fc fusion protein can be linked to a peptide or tandem dimer, trimer, or tetramer (i.e., -(L¹)_(c)-P¹, -(L¹)_(c)-P¹, -(L²)_(d)-P², -(L¹)_(c)-P¹-(L²)_(d)-P²-(L³)_(e)-P³, and -(L¹)_(c)-P¹-(L²)_(d)-P²-(L³)_(e)-P³-(L⁴)_(f)-P⁴. The peptides can be linked through a selected internal Fc site or at an available N- or C-terminus of the fusion protein. In this way, this invention encompasses an etanercept derivative comprising, for example, a BAFF-binding peptide dimer (see Table 10 hereinafter), a PEG moiety, or both. In such a molecule for example, the structure can follow formula XXI above wherein P⁰ is SEQ ID NO: 617, P¹ and P² are BAFF-binding peptides such as LPGCKWDLLIKQWVCDPL (SEQ ID NO: 514).

Any number of peptides or polypeptides can be used in conjunction with the present invention. In some embodiments, the peptides or polypeptides bind to angiopoietin-2 (ang-2), myostatin, nerve growth factor (NGF), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), B cell activating factor (BAFF, also referred to as TALL-1) or mimic the activity of EPO, TPO, or G-CSF. Targeting peptides are also of interest, including tumor-homing peptides, membrane-transporting peptides, and the like. All of these classes of peptides or polypeptides can be discovered by methods described in the references cited in this specification and other references.

As mentioned above, phage display is useful in generating peptides for use in the present invention. It has been stated that affinity selection from libraries of random peptides can be used to identify peptide ligands for any site of any gene product. Dedman et al. (1993), J. Biol. Chem. 268: 23025-30. Phage display is particularly well suited for identifying peptides that bind to such proteins of interest as cell surface receptors or any proteins having linear epitopes. Wilson et al. (1998), Can. J. Microbiol. 44: 313-29; Kay et al. (1998), Drug Disc. Today 3: 370-8. Such proteins are extensively reviewed in Herz et al. (1997), J. Receptor & Signal Transduction Res. 17(5): 671-776, which is hereby incorporated by reference. Such proteins of interest are preferred for use in this invention.

A particularly preferred group of peptides are those that bind to cytokine receptors. Cytokines have recently been classified according to their receptor code. See Inglot (1997), Archivum Immunologiae et Therapiae Experimentalis 45: 353-7, which is hereby incorporated by reference. Among these receptors, most preferred are the CKRs (family I in Table 4). The receptor classification appears in Table 4.

TABLE 4 Cytokine Receptors Classified by Receptor Code Cytokines (ligands) Receptor Type Family Subfamily family subfamily I. Hematopoietic 1. IL-2, IL-4, I. Cytokine R 1. shared γCr, cytokines IL-7, IL-9, (CKR) IL-9R, IL-4R IL-13, IL-15 2. shared GP 2. IL-3, IL-5, 140 βR GM-CSF 3. 3.shared RP 3. IL-6, IL-11, 130, IL-6 R, IL-12, LIF, Leptin R OSM, CNTF, 4. “single chain” Leptin (OB) R, GCSF-R, 4. G-CSF, EPO, TPO-R, GH-R TPO, PRL, GH 5. other R^(a) 5. IL-17, HVS-IL-17 II. IL-10 ligands IL-10, BCRF-1, II. IL-10 R HSV-IL-10 III. Interferons 1. IFN-α1, α2, III. Interferon R 1. IFNAR α4, m, t, IFN-β^(b) 2. IFNGR 2. IFN-γ IV. IL-1 and IL-1 1. IL-1α, IL-1β, IV. IL-1R 1. IL-1R, IL- like ligands IL-1Ra 1RAcP 2. IL-18, IL-18BP 2. IL-18R, IL- 18RAcP V. TNF family 1. TNF-α, TNF-β (LT), 3. NGF/TNF R^(c) TNF-RI, AGP- FASL, CD40 L, CD30L, 3R, DR4, DR5, CD27 L, OX40L, OX40, OPG, OPGL, TRAIL, APRIL, TACI, CD40, AGP-3, BLys, TL5, FAS, ODR Ntn-2, KAY, Neutrokine-α VI. Chemokines 1. α chemokines: 4. Chemokine R 1. CXCR IL-8, GRO α, β, γ, 2. CCR IF-10, PF-4, SDF-1 3. CR 2. β chemokines: 4. DARC^(d) MIP1α, MIP1β, MCP-1, 2, 3, 4, RANTES, eotaxin 3. γ chemokines: lymphotactin VII. Growth 1.1 SCF, M-CSF, VII. RKF 1. TK sub- factors PDGF-AA, family AB, BB, 1.1 IgTK III R, KDR, FLT-1, VEGF-RI, FLT-3L, VEGF-RII VEGF, SSV- 1.2 IgTK IV R PDGF, HGF, SF 1.3 Cysteine-rich 1.2 FGFα, FGFβ TK-I 1.3 EGF, TGF-α, 1.4 Cysteine rich VV-F19 (EGF-like) TK-II, IGF-RI 1.4 IGF-I, IGF-II, 1.5 Cysteine knot Insulin TK V 1.5 NGF, BDNF, NT-3, NT-4^(e) 2. Serine- 2. TGF-β1, β2, β3 threonine kinase subfamily (STKS)^(f) ²Other IFN type I subtypes remain unassigned. Hematopoietic cytokines, IL-10 ligands and interferons do not possess functional intrinsic protein kinases. The signaling molecules for the cytokines are JAK's, STATs and related non-receptor molecules. IL-14, IL-16 and IL-18 have been cloned but according to the receptor code they remain unassigned. ³TNF receptors use multiple, distinct intracellular molecules for signal transduction including “death domain” of FAS R and 55 kDa TNF- R that participates in their cytotoxic effects. NGF/TNF R can bind both NGF and related factors as well as TNF ligands. Chemokine receptors are seven transmembrane (7TM, serpentine) domain receptors. They are G protein-coupled. ⁴The Duffy blood group antigen (DARC) is an erythrocyte receptor that can bind several different chemokines. IL-1R belongs to the immunoglobulin superfamily but their signal transduction events characteristics remain unclear. ⁵The neurotrophic cytokines can associate with NGF/TNF receptors also. ⁶STKS may encompass many other TGF-β-related factors that remain unassigned. The protein kinases are intrinsic part of the intracellular domain of receptor kinase family (RKF). The enzymes participate in the signals transmission via the receptors.

Particular proteins of interest as targets for peptide generation in the present invention include, but are not limited to, the following:

-   -   αVβ3     -   αVβ1     -   Ang-2     -   BAFF/TALL-1     -   B7     -   B7RP1     -   CRP1     -   Calcitonin     -   CD28     -   CETP     -   cMet     -   Complement factor B     -   C4b     -   CTLA4     -   Glucagon     -   Glucagon Receptor     -   LIPG     -   MPL     -   myostatin     -   splice variants of molecules preferentially expressed on tumor     -   cells; e.g., CD44, CD30     -   unglycosylated variants of mucin and Lewis Y surface     -   glycoproteins     -   CD19, CD20, CD33, CD45     -   prostate specific membrane antigen and prostate specific cell         antigen     -   matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), both secreted and         membrane-bound (e.g., MMP-9)     -   Cathepsins     -   angiopoietin-2     -   TIE-2 receptor     -   heparanase     -   urokinase plasminogen activator (UPA), UPA receptor     -   parathyroid hormone (PTH), parathyroid hormone-related protein         (PTHrP), PTH-RI, PTH-RII     -   Her2     -   Her3     -   Insulin

Exemplary peptides for this invention appear in Tables 4 through 20 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,660,843, which are hereby incorporated by reference. Additional preferred peptides appear in U.S. 2003/0229023, published Dec. 11, 2003; WO 03/057134, published Jul. 17, 2003; U.S. 2003/0236193, published Dec. 25, 2003; WO 00/24770, published May 4, 2000; U.S. 2003/0176352, published Sep. 18, 2003; WO 03/031589, published Apr. 17, 2003; U.S. Ser. No. 10/666,480, filed Sep. 18, 2003; WO 04/026329, published Apr. 1, 2004; U.S. Ser. No. 10/742,379, filed Dec. 19, 2003; PCT/US03/40781, filed Dec. 19, 2003, each of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Such peptides may be prepared by methods disclosed in the art.

The amino acid sequences of some preferred peptides and polypeptides appear in Tables 5-10 below. Single letter amino acid abbreviations are used. Any of these peptides may be linked in tandem (i.e., sequentially), with or without linkers. Any peptide containing a cysteinyl residue may be cross-linked with another Cys-containing peptide or protein. Any peptide having more than one Cys residue may form an intrapeptide disulfide bond, as well. Any of these peptides may be derivatized as described herein. All peptides are linked through peptide bonds unless otherwise noted.

TABLE 5 EPO-mimetic peptide sequences SEQUENCE SEQ ID NO: YXCXXGPXTWXCXP, wherein X is any amino 1 acid GGTYSCHFGPLTWVCKPQGG 2 GGDYHCRMGPLTWVCKPLGG 3 GGVYACRMGPITWVCSPLGG 4 VGNYMCHFGPITWVCRPGGG 5 GGLYLCRFGPVTWDCGYKGG 6 GGTYSCHFGPLTWVCKPQGGSSK 7 GGTYSCHGPLTWVCKPQGG 8 VGNYMAHMGPITWVCRPGG 9 GGPHHVYACRMGPLTWIC 10 GGTYSCHFGPLTWVCKPQ 11 GGLYACHMGPMTWVCQPLRG 12 TIAQYICYMGPETWECRPSPKA 13 YSCHFGPLTWVCK 14 YCHFGPLTWVC 15 GGLYLCRFGPVTWDCGYKGG 16 GGTYSCHFGPLTWVCKPQGG 17 GGDYHCRMGPLTWVCKPLGG 18 VGNYMCHFGPITWVCRPGGG 19 GGVYACRMGPITWVCSPLGG 20 VGNYMAHMGPITWVCRPGG 21 GGTYSCHFGPLTWVCKPQ 22 GGLYACHMGPMTWVCQPLRG 23 TIAQYICYMGPETWECRPSPKA 24 YSCHFGPLTWVCK 25 YCHFGPLTWVC 26 SCHFGPLTWVCK 27

TABLE 6 TPO-mimetic peptide sequences SEQUENCE SEQ ID NO: IEGPTLRQWLAARA 28 IEGPTLRQWLAAKA 29 IEGPTLREWLAARA 30 TLREWL 31 GRVRDQVAGW 32 GRVKDQIAQL 33 GVRDQVSWAL 34 ESVREQVMKY 35 SVRSQISASL 36 GVRETVYRHM 37 GVREVIVMHML 38 GRVRDQIWAAL 39 AGVRDQILIWL 40 GRVRDQIMLSL 41 CTLRQWLQGC 42 CTLQEFLEGC 43 CTRTEWLHGC 44 CTLREWLHGGFC 45 CTLREWVFAGLC 46 CTLRQWLILLGMC 47 CTLAEFLASGVEQC 48 CSLQEFLSHGGYVC 49 CTLREFLDPTTAVC 50 CTLKEWLVSHEVWC 51 REGPTLRQWM 52 EGPTLRQWLA 53 ERGPFWAKAC 54 REGPRCVMWM 55 CGTEGPTLSTWLDC 56 CEQDGPTLLEWLKC 57 CELVGPSLMSWLTC 58 CLTGPFVTQWLYEC 59 CRAGPTLLEWLTLC 60 CADGPTLREWISFC 61 GGCTLREWLHGGFCGG 62 GGCADGPTLREWISFCGG 63 GNADGPTLRQWLEGRRPKN 64 LAIEGPTLRQWLHGNGRDT 65 HGRVGPTLREWKTQVATKK 66 TIKGPTLRQWLKSREHTS 67 ISDGPTLKEWLSVTRGAS 68 SIEGPTLREWLTSRTPHS 69 GAREGPTLRQWLEWVRVG 70 RDLDGPTLRQWLPLPSVQ 71 ALRDGPTLKQWLEYRRQA 72 ARQEGPTLKEWLFWVRMG 73 EALLGPTLREWLAWRRAQ 74 MARDGPTLREWLRTYRMM 75 WMPEGPTLKQWLFHGRGQ 76 HIREGPTLRQWLVALRMV 77 QLGHGPTLRQWLSWYRGM 78 ELRQGPTLHEWLQHLASK 79 VGIEGPTLRQWLAQRLNP 80 WSRDGPTLREWLAWRAVG 81 AVPQGPTLKQWLLWRRCA 82 RIREGPTLKEWLAQRRGF 83 RFAEGPTLREWLEQRKLV 84 DRFQGPTLREWLAAIRSV 85 AGREGPTLREWLNMRVWQ 86 ALQEGPTLRQWLGWGQWG 87 YCDEGPTLKQWLVCLGLQ 88 WCKEGPTLREWLRWGFLC 89 CSSGGPTLREWLQCRRMQ 90 CSWGGPTLKQWLQCVRAK 91 CQLGGPTLREWLACRLGA 92 CWEGGPTLKEWLQCLVER 93 CRGGGPTLHQWLSCFRWQ 94 CRDGGPTLRQWLACLQQK 95 ELRSGPTLKEWLVWRLAQ 96 GCRSGPTLREWLACREVQ 97 TCEQGPTLRQWLLCRQGR 98 QGYCDEGPTLKQWLVCLGLQHS 99

TABLE 7 Ang-2 binding peptide sequences SEQUENCE SEQ ID NO. WDPWT 100 WDPWTC 101 CXWDPWT (wherein X is an acidic 102 or neutral polar amino acid residue) CXWDPWTC (wherein X is an acidic 103 or neutral polar amino acid residue) PIRQEECDWDPWTCEHMWEV 104 TNIQEECEWDPWTCDHMPGK 105 WYEQDACEWDPWTCEHMAEV 106 NRLQEVCEWDPWTCEHMENV 107 AATQEECEWDPWTCEHMPRS 108 LRHQEGCEWDPWTCEHMFDW 109 VPRQKDCEWDPWTCEHMYVG 110 SISHEECEWDPWTCEHMQVG 111 WAAQEECEWDPWTCEHMGRM 112 TWPQDKCEWDPWTCEHMGST 113 GHSQEECGWDPWTCEHMGTS 114 QHWQEECEWDPWTCDHMPSK 115 NVRQEKCEWDPWTCEHMPVR 116 KSGQVECNWDPWTCEHMPRN 117 VKTQEHCDWDPWTCEHMREW 118 AWGQEGCDWDPWTCEHMLPM 119 PVNQEDCEWDPWTCEHMPPM 120 RAPQEDCEWDPWTCAHMDIK 121 HGQNMECEWDPWTCEHMFRY 122 PRLQEECVWDPWTCEHMPLR 123 RTTQEKCEWDPWTCEHMESQ 124 QTSQEDCVWDPWTCDHMVSS 125 QVIGRPCEWDPWTCEHLEGL 126 WAQQEECAWDPWTCDHMVGL 127 LPGQEDCEWDPWTCEHMVRS 128 PMNQVECDWDPWTCEHMPRS 129 FGWSHGCEWDPWTCEHMGST 130 KSTQDDCDWDPWTCEHMVGP 131 GPRISTCQWDPWTCEHMDQL 132 STIGDMCEWDPWTCAHMQVD 133 VLGGQGCEWDPWTCRLLQGW 134 VLGGQGCQWDPWTCSHLEDG 135 TTIGSMCEWDPWTCAHMQGG 136 TKGKSVCQWDPWTCSHMQSG 137 TTIGSMCQWDPWTCAHMQGG 138 WVNEVVCEWDPWTCNHWDTP 139 VVQVGMCQWDPWTCKHMRLQ 140 AVGSQTCEWDPWTCAHLVEV 141 QGMKMFCEWDPWTCAHIVYR 142 TTIGSMCQWDPWTCEHMQGG 143 TSQRVGCEWDPWTCQHLTYT 144 QWSWPPCEWDPWTCQTVWPS 145 GTSPSFCQWDPWTCSHMVQG 146 QEECEWDPWTCEHM 147 QNYKPLDELDATLYEHFIFHYT 148 LNFTPLDELEQTLYEQWTLQQS 149 TKFNPLDELEQTLYEQWTLQHQ 150 VKFKPLDALEQTLYEHWMFQQA 151 VKYKPLDELDEILYEQQTFQER 152 TNFMPMDDLEQRLYEQFILQQG 153 SKFKPLDELEQTLYEQWTLQHA 154 QKFQPLDELEQTLYEQFMLQQA 155 QNFKPMDELEDTLYKQFLFQHS 156 YKFTPLDDLEQTLYEQWTLQHV 157 QEYEPLDELDETLYNQWMFHQR 158 SNFMPLDELEQTLYEQFMLQHQ 159 QKYQPLDELDKTLYDQFMLQQG 160 QKFQPLDELEETLYKQWTLQQR 161 VKYKPLDELDEWLYHQFTLHHQ 162 QKFMPLDELDEILYEQFMFQQS 163 QTFQPLDDLEEYLYEQWIRRYH 164 EDYMPLDALDAQLYEQFILLHG 165 HTFQPLDELEETLYYQWLYDQL 166 YKFNPMDELEQTLYEEFLFQHA 167 TNYKPLDELDATLYEHWILQHS 168 QKFKPLDELEQTLYEQWTLQQR 169 TKFQPLDELDQTLYEQWTLQQR 170 TNFQPLDELDQTLYEQWTLQQR 171 KFNPLDELEETLYEQFTFQQ 172 AGGMRPYDGMLGWPNYDVQA 173 QTWDDPCMHILGPVTWRRCI 174 APGQRPYDGMLGWPTYQRIV 175 SGQLRPCEEIFGCGTQNLAL 176 FGDKRPLECMFGGPIQLCPR 177 GQDLRPCEDMFGCGTKDWYG 178 KRPCEEIFGGCTYQ 179 GFEYCDGMEDPFTFGCDKQT 180 KLEYCDGMEDPFTQGCDNQS 181 LQEWCEGVEDPFTFGCEKQR 182 AQDYCEGMEDPFTFGCEMQK 183 LLDYCEGVQDPFTFGCENLD 184 HQEYCEGMEDPFTFGCEYQG 185 MLDYCEGMDDPFTFGCDKQM 186 LQDYCEGVEDPFTFGCENQR 187 LQDYCEGVEDPFTFGCEKQR 188 FDYCEGVEDPFTFGCDNH 189

TABLE 8 NGF-Binding Peptide Sequences SEQUENCE SEQ ID NO. TGYTEYTEEWPMGFGYQWSF 190 TDWLSDFPFYEQYFGLMPPG 191 FMRFPNPWKLVEPPQGWYYG 192 VVKAPHFEFLAPPHFHEFPF 193 FSYIWIDETPSNIDRYMLWL 194 VNFPKVPEDVEPWPWSLKLY 195 TWHPKTYEEFALPFFVPEAP 196 WHFGTPYIQQQPGVYWLQAP 197 VWNYGPFFMNFPDSTYFLHE 198 WRIHSKPLDYSHVWFFPADF 199 FWDGNQPPDILVDWPWNPPV 200 FYSLEWLKDHSEFFQTVTEW 201 QFMELLKFFNSPGDSSHHFL 202 TNVDWISNNWEHMKSFFTED 203 PNEKPYQMQSWFPPDWPVPY 204 WSHTEWVPQVWWKPPNHFYV 205 WGEWINDAQVHMHEGFISES 206 VPWEHDHDLWEIISQDWHIA 207 VLHLQDPRGWSNFPPGVLEL 208 IHGCWFTEEGCVWQ 209 YMQCQFARDGCPQW 210 KLQCQYSESGCPTI 211 FLQCEISGGACPAP 212 KLQCEFSTSGCPDL 213 KLQCEFSTQGCPDL 214 KLQCEFSTSGCPWL 215 IQGCWFTEEGCPWQ 216 SFDCDNPWGHVLQSCFGF 217 SFDCDNPWGHKLQSCFGF 218

TABLE 9 Myostatin binding peptide or polypeptide sequences SEQUENCE SEQ ID NO: KDKCKMWHWMCKPP 616 KDLCAMWHWMCKPP 219 KDLCKMWKWMCKPP 220 KDLCKMWHWMCKPK 221 WYPCYEFHFWCYDL 222 WYPCYEGHFWCYDL 223 IFGCKWWDVQCYQF 224 IFGCKWWDVDCYQF 225 ADWCVSPNWFCMVM 226 HKFCPWWALFCWDF 227 KDLCKMWHWMCKPP 228 IDKCAIWGWMCPPL 229 WYPCGEFGMWCLNV 230 WFTCLWNCDNE 231 HTPCPWFAPLCVEW 232 KEWCWRWKWMCKPE 233 FETCPSWAYFCLDI 234 AYKCEANDWGCWWL 235 NSWCEDQWHRCWWL 236 WSACYAGHFWCYDL 237 ANWCVSPNWFCMVM 238 WTECYQQEFWCWNL 239 ENTCERWKWMCPPK 240 WLPCHQEGFWCMNF 241 STMCSQWHWMCNPF 242 IFGCHWWDVDCYQF 243 IYGCKWWDIQCYDI 244 PDWCIDPDWWCKFW 245 QGHCTRWPWMCPPY 246 WQECYREGFWCLQT 247 WFDCYGPGFKCWSP 248 GVRCPKGHLWCLYP 249 HWACGYWPWSCKWV 250 GPACHSPWWWCVFG 251 TTWCISPMWFCSQQ 252 HKFCPPWAIFCWDF 253 PDWCVSPRWYCNMW 254 VWKCHWFGMDCEPT 255 KKHCQIWTWMCAPK 256 WFQCGSTLFWCYNL 257 WSPCYDHYFYCYTI 258 SWMCGFFKEVCMWV 259 EMLCMIHPVFCNPH 260 LKTCNLWPWMCPPL 261 VVGCKWYEAWCYNK 262 PIHCTQWAWMCPPT 263 DSNCPWYFLSCVIF 264 HIWCNLAMMKCVEM 265 NLQCIYFLGKCIYF 266 AWRCMWFSDVCTPG 267 WFRCFLDADWCTSV 268 EKICQMWSWMCAPP 269 WFYCHLNKSECTEP 270 FWRCAIGIDKCKRV 271 NLGCKWYEVWCFTY 272 IDLCNMWDGMCYPP 273 EMPCNIWGWMCPPV 274 WFRCVLTGIVDWSECFGL 275 GFSCTFGLDEFYVDCSPF 276 LPWCHDQVNADWGFCMLW 277 YPTCSEKFWIYGQTCVLW 278 LGPCPIHHGPWPQYCVYW 279 PFPCETHQISWLGHCLSF 280 HWGCEDLMWSWHPLCRRP 281 LPLCDADMMPTIGFCVAY 282 SHWCETTFWMNYAKCVHA 283 LPKCTHVPFDQGGFCLWY 284 FSSCWSPVSRQDMFCVFY 285 SHKCEYSGWLQPLCYRP 286 PWWCQDNYVQHMLHCDSP 287 WFRCMLMNSFDAFQCVSY 288 PDACRDQPWYMFMGCMLG 289 FLACFVEFELCFDS 290 SAYCIITESDPYVLCVPL 291 PSICESYSTMWLPMCQHN 292 WLDCHDDSWAWTKMCRSH 293 YLNCVMMNTSPFVECVFN 294 YPWCDGFMIQQGITCMFY 295 FDYCTWLNGFKDWKCWSR 296 LPLCNLKEISHVQACVLF 297 SPECAFARWLGIEQCQRD 298 YPQCFNLHLLEWTECDWF 299 RWRCEIYDSEFLPKCWFF 300 LVGCDNVWHRCKLF 301 AGWCHVWGEMFGMGCSAL 302 HHECEWMARWMSLDCVGL 303 FPMCGIAGMKDFDFCVWY 304 RDDCTFWPEWLWKLCERP 305 YNFCSYLFGVSKEACQLP 306 AHWCEQGPWRYGNICMAY 307 NLVCGKISAWGDEACARA 308 HNVCTIMGPSMKWFCWND 309 NDLCAMWGWRNTIWCQNS 310 PPFCQNDNDMLQSLCKLL 311 WYDCNVPNELLSGLCRLF 312 YGDCDQNHWMWPFTCLSL 313 GWMCHFDLHDWGATCQPD 314 YFHCMFGGHEFEVHCESF 315 AYWCWHGQCVRF 316 SEHWTFTDWDGNEWWVRPF 317 MEMLDSLFELLKDMVPISKA 318 SPPEEALMEWLGWQYGKFT 319 SPENLLNDLYILMTKQEWYG 320 FHWEEGIPFHVVTPYSYDRM 321 KRLLEQFMNDLAELVSGHS 322 DTRDALFQEFYEFVRSRLVI 323 RMSAAPRPLTYRDIMDQYWH 324 NDKAHFFEMFMFDVHNFVES 325 QTQAQKIDGLWELLQSIRNQ 326 MLSEFEEFLGNLVHRQEA 327 YTPKMGSEWTSFWHNRIHYL 328 LNDTLLRELKMVLNSLSDMK 329 FDVERDLMRWLEGFMQSAAT 330 HHGWNYLRKGSAPQWFEAWV 331 VESLHQLQMWLDQKLASGPH 332 RATLLKDFWQLVEGYGDN 333 EELLREFYRFVSAFDY 334 GLLDEFSHFIAEQFYQMPGG 335 YREMSMLEGLLDVLERLQHY 336 HNSSQMLLSELIMLVGSMMQ 337 WREHFLNSDYIRDKLIAIDG 338 QFPFYVFDDLPAQLEYWIA 339 EFFHWLHNHRSEVNHWLDMN 340 EALFQNFFRDVLTLSEREY 341 QYWEQQWMTYFRENGLHVQY 342 NQRMMLEDLWRIMTPMFGRS 343 FLDELKAELSRHYALDDLDE 344 GKLIEGLLNELMQLETFMPD 345 ILLLDEYKKDWKSWF 346 QGHCTRWPWMCPPYGSGSATGGSGSTAS 347 SGSGSATGQGHCTRWPWMCPPY WYPCYEGHFWCYDLGSGSTASSGSGSAT 348 GWYPCYEGHFWCYDL HTPCPWFAPLCVEWGSGSATGGSGSTAS 349 SGSGSATGHTPCPWFAPLCVEW PDWCIDPDWWCKFWGSGSATGGSGSTA 350 SSGSGSATGPDWCIDPDWWCKFW ANWCVSPNWFCMVMGSGSATGGSGSTA 351 SSGSGSATGANWCVSPNWFCMVM PDWCIDPDWWCKFWGSGSATGGSGSTA 352 SSGSGSATGPDWCIDPDWWCKFW HWACGYWPWSCKWVGSGSATGGSGST 353 ASSGSGSATGHWACGYWPWSCKWV KKHCQIWTWMCAPKGSGSATGGSGSTAS 354 SGSGSATGQGHCTRWPWMCPPY QGHCTRWPWMCPPYGSGSATGGSGSTAS 355 SGSGSATGKKHCQIWTWMCAPK KKHCQIWTWMCAPKGSGSATGGSGSTAS 356 SGSGSATGQGHCTRWPWMCPPY KKHCQIWTWMCAPKGGGGGGGGQGHC 357 TRWPWMCPPY QGHCTRWPWMCPPYGGGGGGKKHCQI 358 WTWMCAPK VALHGQCTRWPWMCPPQREG 359 YPEQGLCTRWPWMCPPQTLA 360 GLNQGHCTRWPWMCPPQDSN 361 MITQGQCTRWPWMCPPQPSG 362 AGAQEHCTRWPWMCAPNDWI 363 GVNQGQCTRWRWMCPPNGWE 364 LADHGQCIRWPWMCPPEGWE 365 ILEQAQCTRWPWMCPPQRGG 366 TQTHAQCTRWPWMCPPQWEG 367 VVTQGHCTLWPWMCPPQRWR 368 IYPHDQCTRWPWMCPPQPYP 369 SYWQGQCTRWPWMCPPQWRG 370 MWQQGHCTRWPWMCPPQGWG 371 EFTQWHCTRWPWMCPPQRSQ 372 LDDQWQCTRWPWMCPPQGFS 373 YQTQGLCTRWPWMCPPQSQR 374 ESNQGQCTRWPWMCPPQGGW 375 WTDRGPCTRWPWMCPPQANG 376 VGTQGQCTRWPWMCPPYETG 377 PYEQGKCTRWPWMCPPYEVE 378 SEYQGLCTRWPWMCPPQGWK 379 TFSQGHCTRWPWMCPPQGWG 380 PGAHDHCTRWPWMCPPQSRY 381 VAEEWHCRRWPWMCPPQDWR 382 VGTQGHCTRWPWMCPPQPAG 383 EEDQAHCRSWPWMCPPQGWV 384 ADTQGHCTRWPWMCPPQHWF 385 SGPQGHCTRWPWMCAPQGWF 386 TLVQGHCTRWPWMCPPQRWV 387 GMAHGKCTRWAWMCPPQSWK 388 ELYHGQCTRWPWMCPPQSWA 389 VADHGHCTRWPWMCPPQGWG 390 PESQGHCTRWPWMCPPQGWG 391 IPAHGHCTRWPWMCPPQRWR 392 FTVHGHCTRWPWMCPPYGWV 393 PDFPGHCTRWRWMCPPQGWE 394 QLWQGPCTQWPWMCPPKGRY 395 HANDGHCTRWQWMCPPQWGG 396 ETDHGLCTRWPWMCPPYGAR 397 GTWQGLCTRWPWMCPPQGWQ 398 VATQGQCTRWPWMCPPQGWG 399 VATQGQCTRWPWMCPPQRWG 400 QREWYPCYGGHLWCYDLHKA 401 ISAWYSCYAGHFWCWDLKQK 402 WTGWYQCYGGHLWCYDLRRK 403 KTFWYPCYDGHFWCYNLKSS 404 ESRWYPCYEGHLWCFDLTET 405 MEMLDSLFELLKDMVPISKA 406 RMEMLESLLELLKEIVPMSKAG 407 RMEMLESLLELLKEIVPMSKAR 408 RMEMLESLLELLKDIVPMSKPS 409 GMEMLESLFELLQEIVPMSKAP 410 RMEMLESLLELLKDIVPISNPP 411 RIEMLESLLELLQEIVPISKAE 412 RMEMLQSLLELLKDIVPMSNAR 413 RMEMLESLLELLKEIVPTSNGT 414 RMEMLESLFELLKEIVPMSKAG 415 RMEMLGSLLELLKEIVPMSKAR 416 QMELLDSLFELLKEIVPKSQPA 417 RMEMLDSLLELLKEIVPMSNAR 418 RMEMLESLLELLHEIVPMSQAG 419 QMEMLESLLQLLKEIVPMSKAS 420 RMEMLDSLLELLKDMVPMTTGA 421 RIEMLESLLELLKDMVPMANAS 422 RMEMLESLLQLLNEIVPMSRAR 423 RMEMLESLFDLLKELVPMSKGV 424 RIEMLESLLELLKDIVPIQKAR 425 RMELLESLFELLKDMVPMSDSS 426 RMEMLESLLEVLQEIVPRAKGA 427 RMEMLDSLLQLLNEIVPMSHAR 428 RMEMLESLLELLKDIVPMSNAG 429 RMEMLQSLFELLKGMVPISKAG 430 RMEMLESLLELLKEIVPNSTAA 431 RMEMLQSLLELLKEIVPISKAG 432 RIEMLDSLLELLNELVPMSKAR 433 HHGWNYLRKGSAPQWFEAWV 434 QVESLQQLLMWLDQKLASGPQG 435 RMELLESLFELLKEMVPRSKAV 436 QAVSLQHLLMWLDQKLASGPQH 437 DEDSLQQLLMWLDQKLASGPQL 438 PVASLQQLLIWLDQKLAQGPHA 439 EVDELQQLLNWLDHKLASGPLQ 440 DVESLEQLLMWLDHQLASGPHG 441 QVDSLQQVLLWLEHKLALGPQV 442 GDESLQHLLMWLEQKLALGPHG 443 QIEMLESLLDLLRDMVPMSNAF 444 EVDSLQQLLMWLDQKLASGPQA 445 EDESLQQLLIYLDKMLSSGPQV 446 AMDQLHQLLIWLDHKLASGPQA 447 RIEMLESLLELLDEIALIPKAW 448 EVVSLQHLLMWLEHKLASGPDG 449 GGESLQQLLMWLDQQLASGPQR 450 GVESLQQLLIFLDHMLVSGPHD 451 NVESLEHLMMWLERLLASGPYA 452 QVDSLQQLLIWLDHQLASGPKR 453 EVESLQQLLMWLEHKLAQGPQG 454 EVDSLQQLLMWLDQKLASGPHA 455 EVDSLQQLLMWLDQQLASGPQK 456 GVEQLPQLLMWLEQKLASGPQR 457 GEDSLQQLLMWLDQQLAAGPQV 458 ADDSLQQLLMWLDRKLASGPHV 459 PVDSLQQLLIWLDQKLASGPQG 460 RATLLKDFWQLVEGYGDN 461 DWRATLLKEFWQLVEGLGDNLV 462 QSRATLLKEFWQLVEGLGDKQA 463 DGRATLLTEFWQLVQGLGQKEA 464 LARATLLKEFWQLVEGLGEKVV 465 GSRDTLLKEFWQLVVGLGDMQT 466 DARATLLKEFWQLVDAYGDRMV 467 NDRAQLLRDFWQLVDGLGVKSW 468 GVRETLLYELWYLLKGLGANQG 469 QARATLLKEFCQLVGCQGDKLS 470 QERATLLKEFWQLVAGLGQNMR 471 SGRATLLKEFWQLVQGLGEYRW 472 TMRATLLKEFWLFVDGQREMQW 473 GERATLLNDFWQLVDGQGDNTG 474 DERETLLKEFWQLVHGWGDNVA 475 GGRATLLKELWQLLEGQGANLV 476 TARATLLNELVQLVKGYGDKLV 477 GMRATLLQEFWQLVGGQGDNWM 478 STRATLLNDLWQLMKGWAEDRG 479 SERATLLKELWQLVGGWGDNFG 480 VGRATLLKEFWQLVEGLVGQSR 481 EIRATLLKEFWQLVDEWREQPN 482 QLRATLLKEFLQLVHGLGETDS 483 TQRATLLKEFWQLIEGLGGKHV 484 HYRATLLKEFWQLVDGLREQGV 485 QSRVTLLREFWQLVESYRPIVN 486 LSRATLLNEFWQFVDGQRDKRM 487 WDRATLLNDFWHLMEELSQKPG 488 QERATLLKEFWRMVEGLGKNRG 489 NERATLLREFWQLVGGYGVNQR 490 YREMSMLEGLLDVLERLQHY 491 HQRDMSMLWELLDVLDGLRQYS 492 TQRDMSMLDGLLEVLDQLRQQR 493 TSRDMSLLWELLEELDRLGHQR 494 MQHDMSMLYGLVELLESLGHQI 495 WNRDMRMLESLFEVLDGLRQQV 496 GYRDMSMLEGLLAVLDRLGPQL 497 TQRDMSMLEGLLEVLDRLGQQR 498 WYRDMSMLEGLLEVLDRLGQQR 499 HNSSQMLLSELIMLVGSMMQ 500 TQNSRQMLLSDFMMLVGSMIQG 501 MQTSRHILLSEFMMLVGSIMHG 502 HDNSRQMLLSDLLHLVGTMIQG 503 MENSRQNLLRELIMLVGNMSHQ 504 QDTSRHMLLREFMMLVGEMIQG 505 DQNSRQMLLSDLMILVGSMIQG 506 EFFHWLHNHRSEVNHWLDMN 507 NVFFQWVQKHGRVVYQWLDINV 508 FDFLQWLQNHRSEVEHWLVMDV 509

TABLE 10 BAFF binding peptide sequences SEQUENCE SEQ ID NO: PGTCFPFPWECTHA 510 WGACWPFPWECFKE 511 VPFCDLLTKHCFEA 512 GSRCKYKWDVLTKQCFHH 513 LPGCKWDLLIKQWVCDPL 514 SADCYFDILTKSDVCTSS 515 SDDCMYDQLTRMFICSNL 516 DLNCKYDELTYKEWCQFN 517 FHDCKYDLLTRQMVCHGL 518 RNHCFWDHLLKQDICPSP 519 ANQCWWDSLTKKNVCEFF 520 YKGRQQMWDILTRSWVVSL 521 QQDVGLWWDILTRAWMPNI 522 QQNAQRVWDLLIRTWVYPQ 523 GWNEAWWDELTKIWVLEQQ 524 RITCDTWDSLIKKCVPQQS 525 GAIMQQFWDSLTKTWLRQS 526 WLHSGWWDPLTKHWLQQKV 527 SEWFFWFDPLTRAQQLKFR 528 GVWFWWFDPLTKQWTQQAG 529 MQQCKGYYDILTKWCVTNG 530 LWSKEVWDILTKSWVSQQA 531 KAAGWWFDWLTKVWVPAP 532 AYQQTWFWDSLTRLWLSTT 533 SGQQHFWWDLLTRSWTPST 534 LGVGQQKWDPLTKQWVSRG 535 VGKMCQQWDPLIKRTVCVG 536 CRQGAKFDLLTKQCLLGR 537 GQAIRHWDVLTKQWVDSQQ 538 RGPCGSWDLLTKHCLDSQQ 539 WQWKQQQWDLLTKQMVWVG 540 PITICRKDLLTKQVVCLD 541 KTCNGKWDLLTKQCLQQQA 542 KCLKGKWDLLTKQCVTEV 543 RCWNGKWDLLTKQCIHPW 544 NRDMRKWDPLIKQWIVRP 545 QQAAAATWDLLTKQWLVPP 546 PEGGPKWDPLTKQQFLPPV 547 QQTPQQKKWDLLTKQWFTRN 548 IGSPCKWDLLTKQMICQQT 549 CTAAGKWDLLTKQCIQQEK 550 VSQCMKWDLLTKQCLQQGW 551 VWGTWKWDLLTKQYLPPQQ 552 GWWEMKWDLLTKQWYRPQQ 553 TAQQVSKWDLLTKQWLPLA 554 QLWGTKWDLLTKQYIQQIM 555 WATSQKWDLLTKQWVQQNM 556 QQRQCAKWDLLTKQCVLFY 557 KTTDCKWDLLTKQRICQQV 558 LLCQQGKWDLLTKQCLKLR 559 LMWFWKWDLLTKQLVPTF 560 QQTWAWKWDLLTKQWIGPM 561 NKELLKWDLLTKQCRGRS 562 GQQKDLKWDLLTKQYVRQS 563 PKPCQQKWDLLTKQCLGSV 564 GQIGWKWDLLTKQWIQQTR 565 VWLDWKWDLLTKQWIHPQQ 566 QQEWEYKWDLLTKQWGWLR 567 HWDSWKWDLLTKQWVVQQA 568 TRPLQQKWDLLTKQWLRVG 569 SDQWQQKWDLLTKQWFWDV 570 QQQTFMKWDLLTKQWIRRH 571 QQGECRKWDLLTKQCFPGQ 572 GQQMGWRWDPLIKMCLGPS 573 QQLDGCKWDLLTKQKVCIP 574 HGYWQQKWDLLTKQWVSSE 575 HQQGQCGWDLLTRIYLPCH 576 LHKACKWDLLTKQCWPMQQ 577 GPPGSVWDLLTKIWIQQTG 578 ITQQDWRFDTLTRLWLPLR 579 QQGGFAAWDVLTKMWITVP 580 GHGTPWWDALTRIWILGV 581 VWPWQQKWDLLTKQFVFQD 582 WQQWSWKWDLLTRQYISSS 583 NQQTLWKWDLLTKQFITYM 584 PVYQQGWWDTLTKLYIWDG 585 WLDGGWRDPLIKRSVQQLG 586 GHQQQFKWDLLTKQWVQSN 587 QQRVGQFWDVLTKMFITGS 588 QQAQGWSYDALIKTWIRWP 589 GWMHWKWDPLTKQQALPWM 590 GHPTYKWDLLTKQWILQQM 591 WNNWSLWDPLTKLWLQQQN 592 WQWGWKWDLLTKQWVQQQ 593 GQMGWRWDPLTKMWLGTS 594

In addition to peptides and polypeptides having amino acid sequences set forth in Tables 5-10, polypeptides that can be useful in accordance with the invention include the Ang-2 binding polypeptide having amino acid sequence SEQ ID NO: 612:

SEQ ID NO: 612 Met Asp Lys Thr His Thr Cys Pro Pro Cys Pro Ala Pro Glu Leu Leu Gly Gly Pro Ser Val Phe Leu Phe Pro Pro Lys Pro Lys Asp Thr Leu Met Ile Ser Arg Thr Pro Glu Val Thr Cys Val Val Val Asp Val Ser His Glu Asp Pro Glu Val Lys Phe Asn Trp Tyr Val Asp Gly Val Glu Val His Asn Ala Lys Thr Lys Pro Arg Glu Glu Gln Tyr Asn Ser Thr Tyr Arg Val Val Ser Val Leu Thr Val Leu His Gln Asp Trp Leu Asn Gly Lys Glu Tyr Lys Cys Lys Val Ser Asn Lys Ala Leu Pro Ala Pro Ile Glu Lys Thr Ile Ser Lys Ala Lys Gly Gln Pro Arg Glu Pro Gln Val Tyr Thr Leu Pro Pro Ser Arg Asp Glu Leu Gly Gly Gln Glu Glu Cys Glu Trp Asp Pro Trp Thr Cys Glu His Met Gly Gly Thr Lys Asn Gln Val Ser Leu Thr Cys Leu Val Lys Gly Phe Tyr Pro Ser Asp Ile Ala Val Glu Trp Glu Ser Asn Gly Gln Pro Glu Asn Asn Tyr Lys Thr Thr Pro Pro Val Leu Asp Ser Asp Gly Ser Phe Phe Leu Tyr Ser Lys Leu Thr Val Asp Lys Ser Arg Trp Gln Gln Gly Asn Val Phe Ser Cys Ser Val Met His Glu Ala Leu His Asn His Tyr Thr Gln Lys Ser Leu Ser Leu Ser Pro Gly Lys//;

And the myostatin binding polypeptide having amino acid sequence SEQ ID NO: 613:

SEQ ID NO: 613 Met Asp Lys Thr His Thr Cys Pro Pro Cys Pro Ala Pro Glu Leu Leu Gly Gly Pro Ser Val Phe Leu Phe Pro Pro Lys Pro Lys Asp Thr Leu Met Ile Ser Arg Thr Pro Glu Val Thr Cys Val Val Val Asp Val Ser His Glu Asp Pro Glu Val Lys Phe Asn Trp Tyr Val Asp Gly Val Glu Val His Asn Ala Lys Thr Lys Pro Arg Glu Glu Gln Tyr Asn Ser Thr Tyr Arg Val Val Ser Val Leu Thr Val Leu His Gln Asp Trp Leu Asn Gly Lys Glu Tyr Lys Cys Lys Val Ser Asn Lys Ala Leu Pro Ala Pro Ile Glu Lys Thr Ile Ser Lys Ala Lys Gly Gln Pro Arg Glu Pro Gln Val Tyr Thr Leu Pro Pro Ser Arg Asp Glu Leu Gly Gly Leu Ala Asp His Gly Gln Cys Ile Arg Trp Pro Trp Met Cys Pro Pro Glu Gly Trp Glu Gly Gly Thr Lys Asn Gln Val Ser Leu Thr Cys Leu Val Lys Gly Phe Tyr Pro Ser Asp Ile Ala Val Glu Trp Glu Ser Asn Gly Gln Pro Glu Asn Asn Tyr Lys Thr Thr Pro Pro Val Leu Asp Ser Asp Gly Ser Phe Phe Leu Tyr Ser Lys Leu Thr Val Asp Lys Ser Arg Trp Gln Gln Gly Asn Val Phe Ser Cys Ser Val Met His Glu Ala Leu His Asn His Tyr Thr Gln Lys Ser Leu Ser Leu Ser Pro Gly Lys//;

And the EPO-mimetic polypeptide having amino acid sequence SEQ ID NO: 614:

SEQ ID NO: 614 Met Asp Lys Thr His Thr Cys Pro Pro Cys Pro Ala Pro Glu Leu Leu Gly Gly Pro Ser Val Phe Leu Phe Pro Pro Lys Pro Lys Asp Thr Leu Met Ile Ser Arg Thr Pro Glu Val Thr Cys Val Val Val Asp Val Ser His Glu Asp Pro Glu Val Lys Phe Asn Trp Tyr Val Asp Gly Val Glu Val His Asn Ala Lys Thr Lys Pro Arg Glu Glu Gln Tyr Asn Ser Thr Tyr Arg Val Val Ser Val Leu Thr Val Leu His Gln Asp Trp Leu Asn Gly Lys Glu Tyr Lys Cys Lys Val Ser Asn Lys Ala Leu Pro Ala Pro Ile Glu Lys Thr Ile Ser Lys Ala Lys Gly Gln Pro Arg Glu Pro Gln Val Tyr Thr Leu Pro Pro Ser Arg Asp Glu Leu Gly Gly Gly Gly Thr Tyr Ser Cys His Phe Gly Pro Leu Thr Trp Val Cys Lys Pro Gln Gly Gly Gly Gly Thr Lys Asn Gln Val Ser Leu Thr Cys Leu Val Lys Gly Phe Tyr Pro Ser Asp Ile Ala Val Glu Trp Glu Ser Asn Gly Gln Pro Glu Asn Asn Tyr Lys Thr Thr Pro Pro Val Leu Asp Ser Asp Gly Ser Phe Phe Leu Tyr Ser Lys Leu Thr Val Asp Lys Ser Arg Trp Gln Gln Gly Asn Val Phe Ser Cys Ser Val Met His Glu Ala Leu His Asn His Tyr Thr Gln Lys Ser Leu Ser Leu Ser Pro Gly Lys//;

And the TPO-mimetic polypeptide having amino acid sequence SEQ ID NO: 615:

SEQ ID NO: 615 Met Asp Lys Thr His Thr Cys Pro Pro Cys Pro Ala Pro Glu Leu Leu Gly Gly Pro Ser Val Phe Leu Phe Pro Pro Lys Pro Lys Asp Thr Leu Met Ile Ser Arg Thr Pro Glu Val Thr Cys Val Val Val Asp Val Ser His Glu Asp Pro Glu Val Lys Phe Asn Trp Tyr Val Asp Gly Val Glu Val His Asn Ala Lys Thr Lys Pro Arg Glu Glu Gln Tyr Asn Ser Thr Tyr Arg Val Val Ser Val Leu Thr Val Leu His Gln Asp Trp Leu Asn Gly Lys Glu Tyr Lys Cys Lys Val Ser Asn Lys Ala Leu Pro Ala Pro Ile Glu Lys Thr Ile Ser Lys Ala Lys Gly Gln Pro Arg Glu Pro Gln Val Tyr Thr Leu Pro Pro Ser Arg Asp Glu Leu Gly Gly Ile Glu Gly Pro Thr Leu Arg Gln Trp Leu Ala Ala Arg Ala Gly Gly Thr Lys Asn Gln Val Ser Leu Thr Cys Leu Val Lys Gly Phe Tyr Pro Ser Asp Ile Ala Val Glu Trp Glu Ser Asn Gly Gln Pro Glu Asn Asn Tyr Lys Thr Thr Pro Pro Val Leu Asp Ser Asp Gly Ser Phe Phe Leu Tyr Ser Lys Leu Thr Val Asp Lys Ser Arg Trp Gln Gln Gly Asn Val Phe Ser Cys Ser Val Met His Glu Ala Leu His Asn His Tyr Thr Gln Lys Ser Leu Ser Leu Ser Pro Gly Lys//.

Pharmaceutically acceptable polymers. The invention further embraces molecules covalently modified to include one or more water soluble polymer attachments. Pharmaceutically acceptable polymers useful in accordance with the present invention include, polyethylene glycol, polyoxyethylene glycol, or polypropylene glycol, as described U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,640,835; 4,496,689; 4,301,144; 4,670,417; 4,791,192; and 4,179,337. Still other useful polymers known in the art include, but are not limited to, monomethoxy-polyethylene glycol, dextran, cellulose, or other carbohydrate based polymers (e.g., hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose), poly-(N-vinyl pyrrolidone)-polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol homopolymers, a polypropylene oxide/ethylene oxide co-polymer, polyoxyethylated polyols (e.g., glycerol) polyvinyl alcohol, polylactic acid, polyglycolic acid, copolymers of ethylene glycol and propylene glycol, carboxymethyl cellulose, dextran, polyvinyl pyrrolidone and polyproline, hyaluronic acid, poly-1,3-dioxolane and poly-1,3,6-tioxocane, pectin, starch, gelatin, as well as mixtures of any of these polymers.

A preferred polymer is polyethylene glycol (PEG). The PEG group may be of any convenient molecular weight and may be linear or branched. The average molecular weight of the PEG will preferably range from about 2 kiloDalton (“kD”) to about 100 kD, more preferably from about 5 kDa to about 50 kDa, most preferably from about 5 kD to about 20 kD. The PEG groups will generally be attached to the compounds of the invention via acylation or reductive alkylation through a reactive group on the PEG moiety (e.g., an aldehyde, maleimide, amino, thiol, or ester group) to a reactive group on the inventive compound (e.g., an aldehyde, amino, thiol or ester group).

Covalent conjugation of proteins and peptides with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) has been widely recognized as an approach to significantly extend the in vivo circulating half-lives of therapeutic proteins. PEGylation achieves this effect predominately by retarding renal clearance, since the PEG moiety adds considerable hydrodynamic radius to the protein. (Zalipsky, S., et al., Use of functionalized poly(ethylene glycol)s for modification of polypeptides., in poly(ethylene glycol) chemistry: Biotechnical and biomedical applications., J. M. Harris, Ed., Plenum Press: New York., 347-370 (1992)). Additional benefits often conferred by PEGylation of proteins and peptides include increased solubility, resistance to proteolytic degradation, and reduced immunogenicity of the therapeutic polypeptide. The merits of protein PEGylation are evidenced by the commercialization of several PEGylated proteins including PEG-Adenosine deaminase (Adagen™/Enzon Corp.), PEG-L-asparaginase (Oncaspar™/Enzon Corp.), PEG-Interferon α-2b (PEG-Intron™/Schering/Enzon), PEG-Interferon α-2a (PEGASYS™/Roche) and PEG-G-CSF (Neulasta™/Amgen) as well as many others in clinical trials.

Briefly, the PEG groups are generally attached to the peptide portion of the composition of the invention via acylation or reductive alkylation through a reactive group on the PEG moiety (e.g., an aldehyde, amino, thiol, or ester group) to a reactive group on the inventive compound (e.g., an aldehyde, amino, or ester group).

A useful strategy for the PEGylation of synthetic peptides consists of combining, through forming a conjugate linkage in solution, a polypeptide or peptide and a PEG moiety, each bearing a special functionality that is mutually reactive toward the other. The polypeptides or peptides can be easily prepared with conventional solid phase synthesis. The polypeptides or peptides are “preactivated” with an appropriate functional group at a specific site. The precursors are purified and fully characterized prior to reacting with the PEG moiety. Ligation of the polypeptide or peptide with PEG usually takes place in aqueous phase and can be easily monitored by reverse phase analytical HPLC. The PEGylated polypeptides or peptides can be easily purified by preparative HPLC and characterized by analytical HPLC, amino acid analysis and laser desorption mass spectrometry.

PEG is a well-known, water soluble polymer that is commercially available or can be prepared by ring-opening polymerization of ethylene glycol according to methods well known in the art (Sandler and Karo, Polymer Synthesis, Academic Press, New York, Vol. 3, pages 138-161). In the present application, the term “PEG” is used broadly to encompass any polyethylene glycol molecule, in mono-, bi-, or poly-functional form, without regard to size or to modification at an end of the PEG, and can be represented by the formula:

X—O(CH₂CH₂O)_(n-1)CH₂CH₂OH,  (XXIX)

where n is 20 to 2300 and X is H or a terminal modification, e.g., a C₁₋₄ alkyl.

In some useful embodiments, a PEG used in the invention terminates on one end with hydroxy or methoxy, i.e., X is H or CH₃ (“methoxy PEG”). It is noted that the other end of the PEG, which is shown in formula (II) terminating in OH, covalently attaches to an activating moiety via an ether oxygen bond, an amine linkage, or amide linkage. When used in a chemical structure, the term “PEG” includes the formula (II) above without the hydrogen of the hydroxyl group shown, leaving the oxygen available to react with a free carbon atom of a linker to form an ether bond. More specifically, in order to conjugate PEG to a peptide, the peptide must be reacted with PEG in an “activated” form. Activated PEG can be represented by the formula:

(PEG)−(A)  (XXX)

where PEG (defined supra) covalently attaches to a carbon atom of the activation moiety (A) to form an ether bond, an amine linkage, or amide linkage, and (A) contains a reactive group which can react with an amino, imino, or thiol group on an amino acid residue of a polypeptide, peptide or a linker moiety covalently attached to the peptide portion.

Techniques for the preparation of activated PEG and its conjugation to biologically active peptides are well known in the art. (E.g., see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,643,575, 5,919,455, 5,932,462, and 5,990,237; Thompson et al., PEGylation of polypeptides, EP 0575545 B1; Petit, Site specific protein modification, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,451,986, and 6,548,644; S. Herman et al., Poly(ethylene glycol) with reactive endgroups: I. Modification of proteins, J. Bioactive Compatible Polymers, 10:145-187 (1995); Y. Lu et al., Pegylated peptides III: Solid-phase synthesis with PEGylating reagents of varying molecular weight: synthesis of multiply PEGylated peptides, Reactive Polymers, 22:221-229 (1994); A. M. Felix et al., PEGylated Peptides IV: Enhanced biological activity of site-directed PEGylated GRF analogs, Int. J. Peptide Protein Res., 46:253-264 (1995); A. M. Felix, Site-specific poly(ethylene glycol)ylation of peptides, ACS Symposium Series 680(poly(ethylene glycol)): 218-238 (1997); Y. Ikeda et al., Polyethylene glycol derivatives, their modified peptides, methods for producing them and use of the modified peptides, EP 0473084 B1; G. E. Means et al., Selected techniques for the modification of protein side chains, in: Chemical modification of proteins, Holden Day, Inc., 219 (1971)).

Activated PEG, such as PEG-aldehydes or PEG-aldehyde hydrates, can be chemically synthesized by known means or obtained from commercial sources, e.g., Shearwater Polymers, (Huntsville, Ala.) or Enzon, Inc. (Piscataway, N.J.).

An example of a useful activated PEG for purposes of the present invention is a PEG-aldehyde compound (e.g., a methoxy PEG-aldehyde), such as PEG-propionaldehyde, which is commercially available from Shearwater Polymers (Huntsville, Al). PEG-propionaldehyde is represented by the formula PEG-CH₂CH₂CHO. (See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,252,714). Other examples of useful activated PEG are PEG acetaldehyde hydrate and PEG bis aldehyde hydrate, which latter yields a bifunctionally activated structure. (See, e.g., Bentley et al., Poly(ethylene glycol) aldehyde hydrates and related polymers and applications in modifying amines, U.S. Pat. No. 5,990,237).

Another useful activated PEG for generating PEG-conjugated polypeptides or peptides of the present invention is a PEG-maleimide compound, such as, but not limited to, a methoxy PEG-maleimide, such as maleimido monomethoxy PEG, are particularly useful for generating the PEG-conjugated peptides of the invention. (E.g., Shen, N-maleimidyl polymer derivatives, U.S. Pat. No. 6,602,498; C. Delgado et al., The uses and properties of PEG-linked proteins., Crit. Rev. Therap. Drug Carrier Systems, 9:249-304 (1992); S. Zalipsky et al., Use of functionalized poly(ethylene glycol)s for modification of polypeptides, in: Poly(ethylene glycol) chemistry: Biotechnical and biomedical applications (J. M. Harris, Editor, Plenum Press: New York, 347-370 (1992); S. Herman et al., Poly(ethylene glycol) with reactive endgroups: I. Modification of proteins, J. Bioactive Compatible Polymers, 10:145-187 (1995); P. J. Shadle et al., Conjugation of polymer to colony stimulating factor-1, U.S. Pat. No. 4,847,325; G. Shaw et al., Cysteine added variants IL-3 and chemical modifications thereof, U.S. Pat. No. 5,166,322 and EP 0469074 B1; G. Shaw et al., Cysteine added variants of EPO and chemical modifications thereof, EP 0668353 A1; G. Shaw et al., Cysteine added variants G-CSF and chemical modifications thereof, EP 0668354 A1; N. V. Katre et al., Interleukin-2 muteins and polymer conjugation thereof, U.S. Pat. No. 5,206,344; R. J. Goodson and N. V. Katre, Site-directed pegylation of recombinant interleukin-2 at its glycosylation site, Biotechnology, 8:343-346 (1990)).

A poly(ethylene glycol) vinyl sulfone is another useful activated PEG for generating the PEG-conjugated peptides of the present invention by conjugation at thiolated amino acid residues, e.g., at C residues. (E.g., M. Morpurgo et al., Preparation and characterization of poly(ethylene glycol) vinyl sulfone, Bioconj. Chem., 7:363-368 (1996); see also Harris, Functionalization of polyethylene glycol for formation of active sulfone-terminated PEG derivatives for binding to proteins and biologically compatible materials, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,446,090; 5,739,208; 5,900,461; 6,610,281 and 6,894,025; and Harris, Water soluble active sulfones of poly(ethylene glycol), WO 95/13312 A1).

Another activated form of PEG that is useful in accordance with the present invention, is a PEG-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester compound, for example, methoxy PEG-N-hydroxysuccinimidyl (NHS) ester.

Heterobifunctionally activated forms of PEG are also useful. (See, e.g., Thompson et al., PEGylation reagents and biologically active compounds formed therewith, U.S. Pat. No. 6,552,170).

Typically, a polypeptide or peptide of interest is reacted by known chemical techniques with an activated PEG compound, such as but not limited to, a thiol-activated PEG compound, a diol-activated PEG compound, a PEG-hydrazide compound, a PEG-oxyamine compound, or a PEG-bromoacetyl compound. (See, e.g., S. Herman, Poly(ethylene glycol) with Reactive Endgroups: I. Modification of Proteins, J. Bioactive and Compatible Polymers, 10:145-187 (1995); S. Zalipsky, Chemistry of Polyethylene Glycol Conjugates with Biologically Active Molecules, Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 16:157-182 (1995); R. Greenwald et al., Poly(ethylene glycol) conjugated drugs and prodrugs: a comprehensive review, Critical Reviews in Therapeutic Drug Carrier Systems, 17:101-161 (2000)).

Polysaccharide polymers are another type of water soluble polymer which may be used for protein modification. Dextrans are polysaccharide polymers comprised of individual subunits of glucose predominantly linked by al-6 linkages The dextran itself is available in many molecular weight ranges, and is readily available in molecular weights from about 1 kD to about 70 kD. Dextran is a suitable water soluble polymer for use in the present invention by itself or in combination with a different additional functional moiety (e.g., Fc). See, for example, WO 96/11953 and WO 96/05309. The use of dextran conjugated to therapeutic or diagnostic immunoglobulins has been reported; see, for example, European Patent Publication No. 0 315 456, which is hereby incorporated by reference. Dextran of about 1 kD to about 20 kD is preferred when dextran is used in accordance with the present invention.

Linkers. Any “linker” group is optional. When present, its chemical structure is not critical, since it serves primarily as a spacer, which can be useful in optimizing pharamcologial activity of some embodiments of the inventive composition. The linker is preferably made up of amino acids linked together by peptide bonds. As stated herein above, the linker moiety, if present, can be independently the same or different from any other linker, or linkers, that may be present in the inventive composition. For example, an “(L)_(c)” can represent the same linker moiety as, or a different linker moiety from, any other “(L)_(c)” or any “(L)_(d)”, “(L)_(e)”, or “(L)_(f)”, in accordance with the invention. The linker is preferably made up of amino acids linked together by peptide bonds. Thus, in some embodiments, the linker is made up of from 1 to about 30 amino acids linked by peptide bonds, wherein the amino acids are selected from the 20 naturally occurring amino acids. Some of these amino acids may be glycosylated, as is well understood by those in the art. For example, a useful linker sequence constituting a sialylation site is X₁X₂NX₄X₅G (SEQ ID NO: 619), wherein X₁, X₂,X₄ and X₅ are each independently any amino acid residue.

In a more preferred embodiment, the 1 to 30 amino acids are selected from glycine, alanine, proline, asparagine, glutamine, and lysine. Even more preferably, a linker is made up of a majority of amino acids that are sterically unhindered, such as glycine and alanine. Thus, preferred linkers include polyglycines (particularly (Gly)4, (Gly)5), poly(Gly-Ala), and polyalanines Other preferred linkers are those identified herein as “L5” (GGGGS; SEQ ID NO: 620), “L10” (GGGGSGGGGS; SEQ ID NO: 621), “L25” GGGGSGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSGGGGS; SEQ ID NO: 622) and any linkers used in the working examples hereinafter. The linkers described herein, however, are exemplary; linkers within the scope of this invention can be much longer and can include other residues. Thus, preferred linkers are polyglycines (particularly (Gly)₄, (Gly)₅), poly(Gly-Ala), and polyalanines. Other specific examples of linkers are:

(Gly)₃Lys(Gly)₄; (SEQ ID NO: 595) (Gly)₃AsnGlySer(Gly)₂; (SEQ ID NO: 596) (Gly)₃Cys(Gly)₄; (SEQ ID NO: 597) and GlyProAsnGlyGly. (SEQ ID NO: 598) To explain the above nomenclature, for example, (Gly)₃Lys(Gly)₄ means Gly-Gly-Gly-Lys-Gly-Gly-Gly-Gly. Combinations of Gly and Ala are also preferred. The linkers shown here are exemplary; linkers within the scope of this invention may be much longer and may include other residues.

In some embodiments of the compositions of this invention, which comprise a peptide linker moiety (L), acidic residues, for example, glutamate or aspartate residues, are placed in the amino acid sequence of the linker moiety (L). Examples include the following peptide linker sequences:

GGEGGG; (SEQ ID NO: 623) GGEEEGGG; (SEQ ID NO: 624) GEEEG; (SEQ ID NO: 625) GEEE; (SEQ ID NO: 626) GGDGGG; (SEQ ID NO: 627) GGDDDGG; (SEQ ID NO: 628) GDDDG; (SEQ ID NO: 629) GDDD; (SEQ ID NO: 630) GGGGSDDSDEGSDGEDGGGGS; (SEQ ID NO: 631) WEWEW; (SEQ ID NO: 632) FEFEF; (SEQ ID NO: 633) EEEWWW; (SEQ ID NO: 634) EEEFFF; (SEQ ID NO: 635) WWEEEWW; (SEQ ID NO: 636) or FFEEEFF. (SEQ ID NO: 637)

In other embodiments, the linker constitutes a phosphorylation site, e.g., X₁X₂YX₃X₄G (SEQ ID NO: 638), wherein X₁, X₂, X₃ and X₄ are each independently any amino acid residue; X₁X₂SX₃X₄G (SEQ ID NO: 639), wherein X₁, X₂, X₃ and X₄ are each independently any amino acid residue; or X₁X₂TX₃X₄G (SEQ ID NO: 640), wherein X₁, X₂, X₃ and X₄ are each independently any amino acid residue.

Non-peptide linkers are also possible. For example, alkyl linkers such as —NH—(CH₂)_(s)—C(O)—, wherein s=2-20 could be used. These alkyl linkers may further be substituted by any non-sterically hindering group such as lower alkyl (e.g., C₁-C₆) lower acyl, halogen (e.g., Cl, Br), CN, NH₂, phenyl, etc. An exemplary non-peptide linker is a PEG linker,

wherein n is such that the linker has a molecular weight of 100 to 5000 kD, preferably 100 to 500 kD. The peptide linkers may be altered to form derivatives in the same manner as described above.

Derivatives. The compositions of matter of the present invention also encompass “derivatives” that include polypeptide or peptide portions bearing modifications other than, or in addition to, insertions, deletions, or substitutions of amino acid residues. Preferably, the modifications are covalent in nature, and include for example, chemical bonding with polymers, lipids, other organic, and inorganic moieties. Derivatives of the invention may be prepared to increase circulating half-life of a molecule; to improve targeting capacity for the molecule to desired cells, tissues, or organs; to improve the solubility or absorption of a molecule; or to eliminate or attenuate any undesirable side-effect of a molecule.

Exemplary derivatives include compounds in which:

-   1. The compound or some portion thereof is cyclic. For example, the     peptide portion may be modified to contain two or more Cys residues     (e.g., in the linker), which could cyclize by disulfide bond     formation. -   2. The compound is cross-linked or is rendered capable of     cross-linking between molecules. For example, the peptide portion     may be modified to contain one Cys residue and thereby be able to     form an intermolecular disulfide bond with a like molecule. The     compound may also be cross-linked through its C-terminus, as in the     molecule shown below.

-   3. One or more peptidyl [—C(O)NR—] linkages (bonds) is replaced by a     non-peptidyl linkage. Exemplary non-peptidyl linkages are     —CH₂-carbamate [—CH₂—OC(O)NR—], phosphonate, —CH₂-sulfonamide     [—CH₂—S(O)₂NR—], urea [—NHC(O)NH—], —CH₂-secondary amine, and     alkylated peptide [—C(O)NR⁶— wherein R⁶ is lower alkyl]. -   4. The N-terminus is derivatized. Typically, the N-terminus may be     acylated or modified to a substituted amine. Exemplary N-terminal     derivative groups include —NRR¹ (other than —NH₂), —NRC(O)R¹,     —NRC(O)OR¹, —NRS(O)₂R¹, —NHC(O)NHR¹, succinimide, or     benzyloxycarbonyl-NH— (CBZ—NH—), wherein R and R¹ are each     independently hydrogen or lower alkyl and wherein the phenyl ring     may be substituted with 1 to 3 substituents selected from the group     consisting of C₁-C₄ alkyl, C₁-C₄ alkoxy, chloro, and bromo. -   5. The free C-terminus is derivatized. Typically, the C-terminus is     esterified or amidated. For example, one may use methods described     in the art to add (NH—CH₂—CH₂—NH₂)₂ to compounds of this invention.     Likewise, one may use methods described in the art to add —NH₂ to     compounds of this invention. Exemplary C-terminal derivative groups     include, for example, —C(O)R² wherein R² is lower alkoxy or —NR³R⁴     wherein R³ and R⁴ are independently hydrogen or C₁-C₈ alkyl     (preferably C₁-C₄ alkyl). -   6. A disulfide bond is replaced with another, preferably more     stable, cross-linking moiety (e.g., an alkylene). See, e.g.,     Bhatnagar et al. (1996), J. Med. Chem. 39: 3814-9; Alberts et     al. (1993) Thirteenth Am. Pep. Symp., 357-9. -   7. One or more individual amino acid residues is modified. Various     derivatizing agents are known to react specifically with selected     side chains or terminal residues, as described in detail below.

Lysinyl residues and amino terminal residues may be reacted with succinic or other carboxylic acid anhydrides, which reverse the charge of the lysinyl residues. Other suitable reagents for derivatizing alpha-amino-containing residues include imidoesters such as methyl picolinimidate; pyridoxal phosphate; pyridoxal; chloroborohydride; trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid; O-methylisourea; 2,4 pentanedione; and transaminase-catalyzed reaction with glyoxylate.

Arginyl residues may be modified by reaction with any one or combination of several conventional reagents, including phenylglyoxal, 2,3-butanedione, 1,2-cyclohexanedione, and ninhydrin. Derivatization of arginyl residues requires that the reaction be performed in alkaline conditions because of the high pKa of the guanidine functional group. Furthermore, these reagents may react with the groups of lysine as well as the arginine epsilon-amino group.

Specific modification of tyrosyl residues has been studied extensively, with particular interest in introducing spectral labels into tyrosyl residues by reaction with aromatic diazonium compounds or tetranitromethane. Most commonly, N-acetylimidizole and tetranitromethane are used to form O-acetyl tyrosyl species and 3-nitro derivatives, respectively.

Carboxyl side chain groups (aspartyl or glutamyl) may be selectively modified by reaction with carbodiimides (R′—N═C═N—R′) such as 1-cyclohexyl-3-(2-morpholinyl-(4-ethyl) carbodiimide or 1-ethyl-3-(4-azonia-4,4-dimethylpentyl) carbodiimide. Furthermore, aspartyl and glutamyl residues may be converted to asparaginyl and glutaminyl residues by reaction with ammonium ions.

Glutaminyl and asparaginyl residues may be deamidated to the corresponding glutamyl and aspartyl residues. Alternatively, these residues are deamidated under mildly acidic conditions. Either form of these residues falls within the scope of this invention.

Cysteinyl residues can be replaced by amino acid residues or other moieties either to eliminate disulfide bonding or, conversely, to stabilize cross-linking. See, e.g., Bhatnagar et al. (1996), J. Med. Chem. 39: 3814-9.

Derivatization with bifunctional agents is useful for cross-linking the peptides or their functional derivatives to a water-insoluble support matrix or to other macromolecular vehicles. Commonly used cross-linking agents include, e.g., 1,1-bis(diazoacetyl)-2-phenylethane, glutaraldehyde, N-hydroxysuccinimide esters, for example, esters with 4-azidosalicylic acid, homobifunctional imidoesters, including disuccinimidyl esters such as 3,3′-dithiobis(succinimidylpropionate), and bifunctional maleimides such as bis-N-maleimido-1,8-octane. Derivatizing agents such as methyl-3-[(p-azidophenyl)dithio]propioimidate yield photoactivatable intermediates that are capable of forming crosslinks in the presence of light. Alternatively, reactive water-insoluble matrices such as cyanogen bromide-activated carbohydrates and the reactive substrates described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,969,287; 3,691,016; 4,195,128; 4,247,642; 4,229,537; and 4,330,440 are employed for protein immobilization.

Carbohydrate (oligosaccharide) groups may conveniently be attached to sites that are known to be glycosylation sites in proteins. Generally, O-linked oligosaccharides are attached to serine (Ser) or threonine (Thr) residues while N-linked oligosaccharides are attached to asparagine (Asn) residues when they are part of the sequence Asn-X-Ser/Thr, where X can be any amino acid except proline. X is preferably one of the 19 naturally occurring amino acids other than proline. The structures of N-linked and O-linked oligosaccharides and the sugar residues found in each type are different. One type of sugar that is commonly found on both is N-acetylneuraminic acid (referred to as sialic acid). Sialic acid is usually the terminal residue of both N-linked and O-linked oligosaccharides and, by virtue of its negative charge, may confer acidic properties to the glycosylated compound. Such site(s) may be incorporated in the linker of the compounds of this invention and are preferably glycosylated by a cell during recombinant production of the polypeptide compounds (e.g., in mammalian cells such as CHO, BHK, COS). However, such sites may further be glycosylated by synthetic or semi-synthetic procedures known in the art.

Other possible modifications include hydroxylation of proline and lysine, phosphorylation of hydroxyl groups of seryl or threonyl residues, oxidation of the sulfur atom in Cys, methylation of the alpha-amino groups of lysine, arginine, and histidine side chains. Creighton, Proteins: Structure and Molecule Properties (W. H. Freeman & Co., San Francisco), pp. 79-86 (1983).

Such derivatized moieties preferably improve one or more characteristics including anti-angiogenic activity, solubility, absorption, biological half life, and the like of the compounds. Alternatively, derivatized moieties may result in compounds that have the same, or essentially the same, characteristics and/or properties of the compound that is not derivatized. The moieties may alternatively eliminate or attenuate any undesirable side effect of the compounds and the like.

Compounds of the present invention may be changed at the DNA level, as well. The DNA sequence encoding any portion of the compound may be changed to codons more compatible with the chosen host cell. For E. coli, which is the preferred host cell, optimized codons are known in the art. Codons may be substituted to eliminate restriction sites or to include silent restriction sites, which may aid in processing of the DNA in the selected host cell. The vehicle, linker and peptide DNA sequences may be modified to include any of the foregoing sequence changes.

Isotope- and toxin-conjugated derivatives. Another set of useful derivatives are the above-described molecules conjugated to toxins, tracers, or radioisotopes. Such conjugation is especially useful for molecules comprising peptide sequences that bind to tumor cells or pathogens. Such molecules may be used as therapeutic agents or as an aid to surgery (e.g., radioimmunoguided surgery or RIGS) or as diagnostic agents (e.g., radioimmunodiagnostics or RID).

As therapeutic agents, these conjugated derivatives possess a number of advantages. They facilitate use of toxins and radioisotopes that would be toxic if administered without the specific binding provided by the peptide sequence. They also can reduce the side-effects that attend the use of radiation and chemotherapy by facilitating lower effective doses of the conjugation partner.

Useful conjugation partners include:

-   -   radioisotopes, such as ⁹⁰Yttrium, ¹³¹Iodine, ²²⁵Actinium, and         ²¹³Bismuth;     -   ricin A toxin, microbially derived toxins such as Pseudomonas         endotoxin (e.g., PE38, PE40), and the like;     -   partner molecules in capture systems (see below);     -   biotin, streptavidin (useful as either partner molecules in         capture systems or as tracers, especially for diagnostic use);         and     -   cytotoxic agents (e.g., doxorubicin).

One useful adaptation of these conjugated derivatives is use in a capture system. In such a system, the molecule of the present invention would comprise a benign capture molecule. This capture molecule would be able to specifically bind to a separate effector molecule comprising, for example, a toxin or radioisotope. Both the vehicle-conjugated molecule and the effector molecule would be administered to the patient. In such a system, the effector molecule would have a short half-life except when bound to the vehicle-conjugated capture molecule, thus minimizing any toxic side-effects. The vehicle-conjugated molecule would have a relatively long half-life but would be benign and non-toxic. The specific binding portions of both molecules can be part of a known specific binding pair (e.g., biotin, streptavidin) or can result from peptide generation methods such as those described herein.

Such conjugated derivatives may be prepared by methods known in the art. In the case of protein effector molecules (e.g., Pseudomonas endotoxin), such molecules can be expressed as fusion proteins from correlative DNA constructs. Radioisotope conjugated derivatives may be prepared, for example, as described for the BEXA antibody (Coulter). Derivatives comprising cytotoxic agents or microbial toxins may be prepared, for example, as described for the BR96 antibody (Bristol-Myers Squibb). Molecules employed in capture systems may be prepared, for example, as described by the patents, patent applications, and publications from NeoRx. Molecules employed for RIGS and RID may be prepared, for example, by the patents, patent applications, and publications from NeoProbe.

Preparing a peptide derivative for conjugation to a Fc domain in accordance with the present invention can be useful. Tumor cells, for example, exhibit epitopes not found on their normal counterparts. Such epitopes include, for example, different post-translational modifications resulting from their rapid proliferation. Thus, one aspect of this invention is a process comprising:

-   -   a) selecting at least one randomized peptide that specifically         binds to a target epitope; and     -   b) preparing a pharmacologic agent comprising (i) at least one         Fc domain monomer, (ii) at least one amino acid sequence of the         selected peptide or peptides, and (iii) an effector molecule.         The target epitope is preferably a tumor-specific epitope or an         epitope specific to a pathogenic organism. The effector molecule         may be any of the above-noted conjugation partners and is         preferably a radioisotope.

Variants. Variants of polypeptide or peptide portions of the inventive composition of matter (e.g., additional functional moiety, linker, or Fc domain portions), are also included within the scope of the present invention. Included within variants are insertional, deletional, and substitutional variants. It is understood that a particular molecule of the present invention may contain one, two or all three types of variant polypeptides or peptides. Insertional and substitutional variants may contain canonical amino acids, non-canonical amino acids (as set forth herein), or both. It is also understood that, in accordance with the present invention, polypeptide or peptide variants can be made before chemical conjugation to an Fc domain or can be designed to be expressed as part of a fusion protein with the Fc domain, as desired in various embodiments of the inventive composition of matter.

In one example, insertional variants are provided wherein one or more amino acid residues, either naturally occurring or unconventional amino acids, supplement a peptide or a polypeptide amino acid sequence. Insertions may be located at either or both termini, or may be positioned within internal regions of the amino acid sequence. Insertional variants with additional residues at either or both termini can include, for example, fusion proteins and proteins including amino acid tags or labels. Insertional variants include peptides and peptibodies wherein one or more amino acid residues are added to the peptide or polypeptide amino acid sequence, or fragment thereof.

Variants of the invention also include mature peptides and polypeptides wherein leader or signal sequences are removed, and the resulting proteins having additional amino terminal residues, which amino acids may be natural or non-natural. Molecules of this invention (such as peptibodies) with an additional methionyl residue at amino acid position −1 (Met⁻¹-peptibody) are contemplated, as are specific binding agents with additional methionine and lysine residues at positions −2 and −1 (Met⁻²-Lys⁻¹-) conjugated to Fc domain as additional moieties in accordance with the invention. Variants having additional Met, Met-Lys, Lys residues (or one or more basic residues, in general) are particularly useful for enhanced recombinant protein production in bacterial host cells.

The invention also embraces variants having additional amino acid residues that arise from use of specific expression systems. For example, use of commercially available vectors that express a desired polypeptide as part of glutathione-S-transferase (GST) fusion product provides the desired polypeptide having an additional glycine residue at amino acid position −1 after cleavage of the GST component from the desired polypeptide. Variants which result from expression in other vector systems are also contemplated, including those wherein poly-histidine tags are incorporated into the amino acid sequence, generally at the carboxy and/or amino terminus of the sequence.

Insertional variants also include fusion proteins wherein the amino and/or carboxy termini of the peptide or peptibody is fused to another polypeptide, a fragment thereof or amino acids which are not generally recognized to be part of any specific protein sequence. Examples of such fusion proteins are immunogenic polypeptides, proteins with long circulating half lives, such as immunoglobulin constant regions, marker proteins, proteins or polypeptides that facilitate purification of the desired peptide or peptibody, and polypeptide sequences that promote formation of multimeric proteins (such as leucine zipper motifs that are useful in dimer formation/stability).

This type of insertional variant generally has all or a substantial portion of the native molecule, linked at the N- or C-terminus, to all or a portion of a second polypeptide. For example, fusion proteins typically employ leader sequences from other species to permit the recombinant expression of a protein in a heterologous host. Another useful fusion protein includes the addition of an immunologically active domain, such as an antibody epitope, to facilitate purification of the fusion protein. Inclusion of a cleavage site at or near the fusion junction will facilitate removal of the extraneous polypeptide after purification. Other useful fusions include linking of functional domains, such as active sites from enzymes, glycosylation domains, cellular targeting signals or transmembrane regions.

There are various commercially available fusion protein expression systems that may be used in the present invention. Particularly useful systems include but are not limited to the glutathione-5-transferase (GST) system (Pharmacia), the maltose binding protein system (NEB, Beverley, Mass.), the FLAG system (IBI, New Haven, Conn.), and the 6×His system (Qiagen, Chatsworth, Calif.). These systems are capable of producing recombinant peptides and/or peptibodies bearing only a small number of additional amino acids, which are unlikely to significantly affect the activity of the peptide or peptibody. For example, both the FLAG system and the 6×His system add only short sequences, both of which are known to be poorly antigenic and which do not adversely affect folding of a polypeptide to its native conformation. Another N-terminal fusion that is contemplated to be useful is the fusion of a Met-Lys dipeptide at the N-terminal region of the protein or peptides. Such a fusion may produce beneficial increases in protein expression or activity.

Other fusion systems produce polypeptide hybrids where it is desirable to excise the fusion partner from the desired peptide or peptibody. In one embodiment, the fusion partner is linked to the recombinant peptibody by a peptide sequence containing a specific recognition sequence for a protease. Examples of suitable sequences are those recognized by the Tobacco Etch Virus protease (Life Technologies, Gaithersburg, Md.) or Factor Xa (New England Biolabs, Beverley, Mass.).

In some embodiments of the inventive composition of matter, fusion polypeptides comprise all or part.of the molecule, in combination with truncated tissue factor (tTF). tTF is a vascular targeting agent consisting of a truncated form of a human coagulation-inducing protein that acts as a tumor blood vessel clotting agent, as described U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,877,289; 6,004,555; 6,132,729; 6,132,730; 6,156,321; and European Patent No. EP 0988056. The fusion of tTF to the anti-Ang-2 peptibody or peptide, or fragments thereof facilitates the delivery of anti-Ang-2 to target cells.

In some embodiments of the present invention, deletion variants can be useful, wherein one or more amino acid residues in a peptide or polypeptide portion of the composition of matter are removed. Deletions can be effected at one or both termini of the polypeptide or peptide portion, or from removal of one or more non-terminal residues within the amino acid sequence. Deletion variants necessarily include all fragments of a peptide or polypeptide portion of the inventive composition of matter.

In other embodiments of the present invention, substitution variants can be useful. Substitution variants include those peptides and polypeptide portions wherein one or more amino acid residues are removed and replaced with one or more alternative amino acids, which amino acids may be naturally occurring or non-naturally occurring. Substitutional variants generate peptides or polypeptides that are “similar” to the original peptide or polypeptide, in that the two have sequences with a certain percentage of amino acids that are identical. Substitution variants include substitutions of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, amino acids within a peptide or peptibody, wherein the number of substitutions may be up to ten percent or more, of the amino acids of the peptide or peptibody. The substitutions can be conservative in nature, however, the invention embraces substitutions that are also non-conservative and also includes non-canonical amino acids.

Identity and similarity of related peptides and peptibodies can be readily calculated by known methods. Such methods include, but are not limited to, those described in Computational Molecular Biology, Lesk, A. M., ed., Oxford University Press, New York (1988); Biocomputing: Informatics and Genome Projects, Smith, D. W., ed., Academic Press, New York (1993); Computer Analysis of Sequence Data, Part 1, Griffin, A. M., and Griffin, H. G., eds., Humana Press, N.J. (1994); Sequence Analysis in Molecular Biology, von Heinje, G., Academic Press (1987); Sequence Analysis Primer, Gribskov, M. and Devereux, J., eds., M. Stockton Press, New York (1991); and Carillo et al., SIAM J. Applied Math., 48:1073 (1988).

Preferred methods to determine the relatedness or percent identity of two peptides or polypeptides, or a polypeptide and a peptide, are designed to give the largest match between the sequences tested. Methods to determine identity are described in publicly available computer programs. Preferred computer program methods to determine identity between two sequences include, but are not limited to, the GCG program package, including GAP (Devereux et al., Nucl. Acid. Res., 12:387 (1984); Genetics Computer Group, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis., BLASTP, BLASTN, and FASTA (Altschul et al., J. Mol. Biol., 215:403-410 (1990)). The BLASTX program is publicly available from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and other sources (BLAST Manual. Altschul et al. NCB/NLM/NIH Bethesda, Md. 20894; Altschul et al., supra (1990)). The well-known Smith Waterman algorithm may also be used to determine identity.

Certain alignment schemes for aligning two amino acid sequences may result in the matching of only a short region of the two sequences, and this small aligned region may have very high sequence identity even though there is no significant relationship between the two full-length sequences. Accordingly, in certain embodiments, the selected alignment method (GAP program) will result in an alignment that spans at least ten percent of the full length of the target polypeptide being compared, i.e., at least 40 contiguous amino acids where sequences of at least 400 amino acids are being compared, 30 contiguous amino acids where sequences of at least 300 to about 400 amino acids are being compared, at least 20 contiguous amino acids where sequences of 200 to about 300 amino acids are being compared, and at least 10 contiguous amino acids where sequences of about 100 to 200 amino acids are being compared.

For example, using the computer algorithm GAP (Genetics Computer Group, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis.), two polypeptides for which the percent sequence identity is to be determined are aligned for optimal matching of their respective amino acids (the “matched span”, as determined by the algorithm). In certain embodiments, a gap opening penalty (which is typically calculated as 3× the average diagonal; the “average diagonal” is the average of the diagonal of the comparison matrix being used; the “diagonal” is the score or number assigned to each perfect amino acid match by the particular comparison matrix) and a gap extension penalty (which is usually 1/10 times the gap opening penalty), as well as a comparison matrix such as PAM 250 or BLOSUM 62 are used in conjunction with the algorithm. In certain embodiments, one may also use a standard comparison matrix in the algorithm, See Dayhoff et al., Atlas of Protein Sequence and Structure, 5(3)(1978) for the PAM 250 comparison matrix; and Henikoff et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 89:10915-10919 (1992) for the BLOSUM 62 comparison matrix.

In certain embodiments, the parameters for a polypeptide sequence comparison include the following:

Algorithm: Needleman et al., J. Mol. Biol., 48:443-453 (1970);

Comparison matrix: BLOSUM 62 from Henikoff et al., supra (1992);

Gap Penalty: 12

Gap Length Penalty: 4

Threshold of Similarity: 0

The GAP program may be useful with the above parameters. In certain embodiments, the aforementioned parameters are the default parameters for polypeptide comparisons (along with no penalty for end gaps) using the GAP algorithm.

In certain embodiments, the parameters for polynucleotide molecule sequence (as opposed to an amino acid sequence) comparisons include the following:

Algorithm: Needleman et al., supra (1970);

Comparison matrix: matches=+10, mismatch=0

Gap Penalty: 50

Gap Length Penalty: 3

The GAP program may also be useful with the above parameters. The aforementioned parameters are the default parameters for polynucleotide molecule comparisons.

Other exemplary algorithms, gap opening penalties, gap extension penalties, comparison matrices, thresholds of similarity, etc. may be used, including those set forth in the Program Manual, Wisconsin Package, Version 9, September, 1997. The particular choices to be made will be apparent to those of skill in the art and will depend on the specific comparison to be made, such as DNA-to-DNA, protein-to-protein, protein-to-DNA; and additionally, whether the comparison is between given pairs of sequences (in which case GAP or BestFit are generally preferred) or between one sequence and a large database of sequences (in which case FASTA or BLASTA are preferred).

It will be appreciated that amino acid residues can be divided into classes based on their common side chain properties:

-   -   1. Neutral Hydrophobic: Alanine (Ala; A), Valine (Val; V),         Leucine (Leu; L), Isoleucine (Ile; I), Proline (Pro; P),         Tryptophan (Trp; W), Phenylalanine (Phe; F), and Methionine         (Met, M).     -   2. Neutral Polar: Glycine (Gly; G); Serine (Ser; S), Threonine         (Thr; T), Tyrosine (Tyr; Y), Cysteine (Cys; C), Glutamine (Glu;         Q), Asparagine (Asn; N), and Norleucine.     -   3. Acidic: Aspartic Acid (Asp; D), Glutamic Acid (Glu; E);     -   4) Basic: Lysine (Lys; K), Arginine (Arg; R), Histidine (H is;         H). See Lewin, B., Genes V, Oxford University Press (1994), p.         11.

Conservative amino acid substitutions may encompass unconventional amino acid residues, which are typically incorporated by chemical peptide synthesis rather than by synthesis in biological systems. These include, without limitation, peptidomimetics and other reversed or inverted forms of amino acid moieties. Non-conservative substitutions may involve the exchange of a member of one of these classes for a member from another class.

In making such changes, according to certain embodiments, the hydropathic index of amino acids may be considered. Each amino acid has been assigned a hydropathic index on the basis of its hydrophobicity and charge characteristics. They are: isoleucine (+4.5); valine (+4.2); leucine (+3.8); phenylalanine (+2.8); cysteine/cystine (+2.5); methionine (+1.9); alanine (+1.8); glycine (−0.4); threonine (−0.7); serine (−0.8); tryptophan (−0.9); tyrosine (−1.3); proline (−1.6); histidine (−3.2); glutamate (−3.5); glutamine (−3.5); aspartate (−3.5); asparagine (−3.5); lysine (−3.9); and arginine (−4.5).

The importance of the hydropathic amino acid index in conferring interactive biological function on a protein is understood in the art. Kyte et al., J. Mol. Biol., 157:105-131 (1982). It is known that certain amino acids may be substituted for other amino acids having a similar hydropathic index or score and still retain a similar biological activity. In making changes based upon the hydropathic index, in certain embodiments, the substitution of amino acids whose hydropathic indices are within ±2 is included. In certain embodiments, those which are within ±1 are included, and in certain embodiments, those within ±0.5 are included.

It is also understood in the art that the substitution of like amino acids can be made effectively on the basis of hydrophilicity, particularly where the biologically functional peptibody or peptide thereby created is intended for use in immunological embodiments, as in the present case. In certain embodiments, the greatest local average hydrophilicity of a protein, as governed by the hydrophilicity of its adjacent amino acids, correlates with its immunogenicity and antigenicity, i.e., with a biological property of the protein.

The following hydrophilicity values have been assigned to these amino acid residues: arginine (+3.0); lysine (+3.0); aspartate (+3.0±1); glutamate (+3.0±1); serine (+0.3); asparagine (+0.2); glutamine (+0.2); glycine (0); threonine (−0.4); proline (−0.5±1); alanine (−0.5); histidine (−0.5); cysteine (−1.0); methionine (−1.3); valine (−1.5); leucine (−1.8); isoleucine (−1.8); tyrosine (−2.3); phenylalanine (−2.5) and tryptophan (−3.4). In making changes based upon similar hydrophilicity values, in certain embodiments, the substitution of amino acids whose hydrophilicity values are within ±2 is included, in certain embodiments, those which are within ±1 are included, and in certain embodiments, those within ±0.5 are included. One may also identify epitopes from primary amino acid sequences on the basis of hydrophilicity. These regions are also referred to as “epitopic core regions.”

Exemplary amino acid substitutions are set forth in Table 11 below.

TABLE 11 Amino Acid Substitutions Original Residues Exemplary Substitutions Preferred Substitutions Ala Val, Leu, Ile Val Arg Lys, Gln, Asn Lys Asn Gln, Glu, Asp Gln Asp Glu, Gln, Asp Glu Cys Ser, Ala Ser Gln Asn, Glu, Asp Asn Glu Asp, Gln, Asn Asp Gly Pro, Ala Ala His Asn, Gln, Lys, Arg Arg Ile Leu, Val, Met, Ala, Phe, Leu Norleucine Leu Norleucine, Ile, Val, Met, Ile Ala, Phe Lys Arg, 1,4 Diamino-butyric Arg Acid, Gln, Asn Met Leu, Phe, Ile Leu Phe Leu, Val, Ile, Ala, Tyr Leu Pro Ala Gly Ser Thr, Ala, Cys Thr Thr Ser Ser Trp Tyr, Phe Tyr Tyr Trp, Phe, Thr, Ser Phe Val Ile, Met, Leu, Phe, Ala, Leu Norleucine

A skilled artisan will be able to determine suitable variants of useful polypeptide or peptides as set forth herein using well-known techniques. In certain embodiments, one skilled in the art may identify suitable areas of the molecule that may be changed without destroying activity by targeting regions not believed to be important for activity. In certain embodiments, one can identify residues and portions of the molecules that are conserved among similar peptides or polypeptides. In certain embodiments, one may even subject areas important for biological activity or for structure to conservative amino acid substitutions without destroying the biological activity or without adversely affecting the polypeptide structure.

Additionally, one skilled in the art can review structure-function studies identifying residues in similar polypeptides that are important for activity or structure. In view of such a comparison, one can predict the importance of amino acid residues in a protein that correspond to amino acid residues which are important for activity or structure in similar proteins. One skilled in the art may opt for chemically similar amino acid substitutions for such predicted important amino acid residues.

One skilled in the art can also analyze the three-dimensional structure and amino acid sequence in relation to that structure in similar polypeptides. In view of such information, one skilled in the art may predict the alignment of amino acid residues of an antibody with respect to its three dimensional structure. In certain embodiments, one skilled in the art may choose not to make radical changes to amino acid residues predicted to be on the surface of the protein, since such residues may be involved in important interactions with other molecules. Moreover, one skilled in the art may generate test variants containing a single amino acid substitution at each desired amino acid residue. The variants can then be screened using activity assays known to those skilled in the art. Such variants could be used to gather information about suitable variants. For example, if one discovered that a change to a particular amino acid residue resulted in destroyed, undesirably reduced, or unsuitable activity, variants with such a change may be avoided. In other words, based on information gathered from such routine experiments, one skilled in the art can readily determine the amino acids where further substitutions should be avoided either alone or in combination with other mutations.

A number of scientific publications have been devoted to the prediction of secondary structure. See Moult J., Curr. Op. in Biotech., 7(4):422-427 (1996), Chou et al., Biochemistry, 13(2):222-245 (1974); Chou et al., Biochemistry, 113(2):211-222 (1974); Chou et al., Adv. Enzymol. Relat. Areas Mol. Biol., 47:45-148 (1978); Chou et al., Ann. Rev. Biochem., 47:251-276 and Chou et al., Biophys. J., 26:367-384 (1979). Moreover, computer programs are currently available to assist with predicting secondary structure. One method of predicting secondary structure is based upon homology modeling. For example, two polypeptides or proteins that have a sequence identity of greater than 30%, or similarity greater than 40% often have similar structural topologies. The recent growth of the protein structural database (PDB) has provided enhanced predictability of secondary structure, including the potential number of folds within a polypeptide's or protein's structure. See Holm et al., Nucl. Acid. Res., 27(1): 244-247 (1999). It has been suggested (Brenner et al., Curr. Op. Struct. Biol., 7(3): 369-376 (1997)) that there are a limited number of folds in a given polypeptide or protein and that once a critical number of structures have been resolved, structural prediction will become dramatically more accurate.

Additional methods of predicting secondary structure include “threading” (Jones, D., Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol., 7(3):377-87 (1997); Sippl et al., Structure, 4(1):15-19 (1996)), “profile analysis” (Bowie et al., Science, 253:164-170 (1991); Gribskov et al., Meth. Enzym., 183:146-159 (1990); Gribskov et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., 84(13):4355-4358 (1987)), and “evolutionary linkage” (See Holm, supra (1999), and Brenner, supra (1997)).

In certain embodiments, peptibody variants include glycosylation variants wherein one or more glycosylation sites, such as a N-linked glycosylation site, has been added to the peptibody. An N-linked glycosylation site is characterized by the sequence: Asn-X-Ser or Asn-X-Thr, wherein the amino acid residue designated as X may be any amino acid residue except proline. The substitution or addition of amino acid residues to create this sequence provides a potential new site for the addition of an N-linked carbohydrate chain. Alternatively, substitutions which eliminate this sequence will remove an existing N-linked carbohydrate chain. Also provided is a rearrangement of N-linked carbohydrate chains wherein one or more N-linked glycosylation sites (typically those that are naturally occurring) are eliminated and one or more new N-linked sites are created.

Compounds of the present invention may be changed at the DNA level, as well. The DNA sequence of any portion of the compound may be changed to codons more compatible with the chosen host cell. For E. coli, which is the preferred host cell, optimized codons are known in the art. Codons may be substituted to eliminate restriction sites or to include silent restriction sites, which may aid in processing of the DNA in the selected host cell. The Fc domain-, linker-, polypeptide-, and/or peptide-encoding DNA sequences may be modified to include any of the foregoing sequence changes. Thus, all modifications, substitution, derivitizations, etc. discussed herein apply equally to all polypeptide or peptide portions of the inventive composition of matter.

One embodiment of the present invention includes “affinity matured” peptides and polypeptide portions, including peptibody embodiments. This procedure contemplates increasing the affinity or the bio-activity of the peptides and polypeptides using phage display or other selection technologies. Based on a consensus sequence (which is generated for a collection of related peptides), directed secondary phage display libraries can be generated in which the “core” amino acids (determined from the consensus sequence) are held constant or are biased in frequency of occurrence. Alternatively, an individual peptide sequence can be used to generate a biased, directed phage display library. Panning of such libraries can yield peptides (which can be converted to peptibodies) with enhanced binding to the target or with enhanced bio-activity.

Non-Peptide Analogs/Protein Mimetics. Furthermore, non-peptide analogs of peptides that provide a stabilized structure or lessened biodegradation, are also useful. Peptide mimetic analogs can be prepared based on a selected inhibitory peptide by replacement of one or more residues by nonpeptide moieties. Preferably, the nonpeptide moieties permit the peptide to retain its natural confirmation, or stabilize a preferred, e.g., bioactive, confirmation which retains the ability to recognize and bind Ang-2. In one aspect, the resulting analog/mimetic exhibits increased binding affinity for Ang-2. One example of methods for preparation of nonpeptide mimetic analogs from peptides is described in Nachman et al., Regul. Pept. 57:359-370 (1995). If desired, the peptides of the invention can be modified, for instance, by glycosylation, amidation, carboxylation, or phosphorylation, or by the creation of acid addition salts, amides, esters, in particular C-terminal esters, and N-acyl derivatives of the peptides of the invention. The peptibodies also can be modified to create peptide derivatives by forming covalent or noncovalent complexes with other moieties. Covalently-bound complexes can be prepared by linking the chemical moieties to functional groups on the side chains of amino acids comprising the peptibodies, or at the N- or C-terminus.

The peptides can be conjugated to a reporter group, including, but not limited to a radiolabel, a fluorescent label, an enzyme (e.g., that catalyzes a colorimetric or fluorometric reaction), a substrate, a solid matrix, or a carrier (e.g., biotin or avidin). The invention accordingly provides a molecule comprising a peptibody molecule, wherein the molecule preferably further comprises a reporter group selected from the group consisting of a radiolabel, a fluorescent label, an enzyme, a substrate, a solid matrix, and a carrier. Such labels are well known to those of skill in the art, e.g., biotin labels are particularly contemplated. The use of such labels is well known to those of skill in the art and is described in, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,817,837; 3,850,752; 3,996,345; and 4,277,437. Other labels that will be useful include but are not limited to radioactive labels, fluorescent labels and chemiluminescent labels. U.S. patents concerning use of such labels include, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,817,837; 3,850,752; 3,939,350; and 3,996,345. Any of the peptibodies of the present invention may comprise one, two, or more of any of these labels.

Recombinant methods. In general, the peptide or polypeptide portions of the inventive compounds of this invention (including peptides or polypeptides as additional moieties, linkers, and/or Fc domains) largely can be made in transformed host cells using recombinant DNA techniques. To do so, a recombinant DNA molecule coding for the peptide is prepared. Methods of preparing such DNA molecules are well known in the art. For instance, sequences coding for the peptides could be excised from DNA using suitable restriction enzymes. Alternatively, the DNA molecule could be synthesized using chemical synthesis techniques, such as the phosphoramidate method. Also, a combination of these techniques could be used.

Accordingly, the present invention also relates to nucleic acids, expression vectors and host cells useful in producing polypeptide compositions of the present invention. Host cells can be eukaryotic cells, with mammalian cells preferred, e.g., CHO cells and HEK293 cells. Host cells can also be prokaryotic cells, with E. coli cells most preferred.

The compounds of this invention largely can be made in transformed host cells using recombinant DNA techniques. To do so, a recombinant DNA molecule coding for the peptide is prepared. Methods of preparing such DNA molecules are well known in the art. For instance, sequences coding for the peptides could be excised from DNA using suitable restriction enzymes. Alternatively, the DNA molecule could be synthesized using chemical synthesis techniques, such as the phosphoramidate method. Also, a combination of these techniques could be used.

The invention also includes a vector capable of expressing the peptides in an appropriate host. The vector comprises the DNA molecule that codes for the peptides operatively linked to appropriate expression control sequences. Methods of effecting this operative linking, either before or after the DNA molecule is inserted into the vector, are well known. Expression control sequences include promoters, activators, enhancers, operators, ribosomal binding sites, start signals, stop signals, cap signals, polyadenylation signals, and other signals involved with the control of transcription or translation.

The resulting vector having the DNA molecule thereon is used to transform an appropriate host. This transformation can be performed using methods well known in the art.

Any of a large number of available and well-known host cells can be used in the practice of this invention. The selection of a particular host is dependent upon a number of factors recognized by the art. These include, for example, compatibility with the chosen expression vector, toxicity of the peptides encoded by the DNA molecule, rate of transformation, ease of recovery of the peptides, expression characteristics, bio-safety and costs. A balance of these factors must be struck with the understanding that not all host cells can be equally effective for the expression of a particular DNA sequence. Within these general guidelines, useful microbial host cells include bacteria (such as E. coli sp.), yeast (such as Saccharomyces sp.) and other fungi, insects, plants, mammalian (including human) cells in culture, or other hosts known in the art.

Next, the transformed host cell is cultured and purified. Host cells can be cultured under conventional fermentation conditions so that the desired compounds are expressed. Such fermentation conditions are well known in the art. Finally, the peptides are purified from culture by methods well known in the art.

The compounds can also be made by synthetic methods. Solid phase synthesis is the preferred technique of making individual peptides since it is the most cost-effective method of making small peptides. For example, well known solid phase synthesis techniques include the use of protecting groups, linkers, and solid phase supports, as well as specific protection and deprotection reaction conditions, linker cleavage conditions, use of scavengers, and other aspects of solid phase peptide synthesis. Suitable techniques are well known in the art. (E.g., Merrifield (1973), Chem. Polypeptides, pp. 335-61 (Katsoyannis and Panayotis eds.); Merrifield (1963), J. Am. Chem. Soc. 85: 2149; Davis et al. (1985), Biochem. Intl. 10: 394-414; Stewart and Young (1969), Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis; U.S. Pat. No. 3,941,763; Finn et al. (1976), The Proteins (3rd ed.) 2: 105-253; and Erickson et al. (1976), The Proteins (3rd ed.) 2: 257-527; “Protecting Groups in Organic Synthesis,” 3rd Edition, T. W. Greene and P. G. M. Wuts, Eds., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1999; NovaBiochem Catalog, 2000; “Synthetic Peptides, A User's Guide,” G. A. Grant, Ed., W.H. Freeman & Company, New York, N.Y., 1992; “Advanced Chemtech Handbook of Combinatorial & Solid Phase Organic Chemistry,” W. D. Bennet, J. W. Christensen, L. K. Hamaker, M. L. Peterson, M. R. Rhodes, and H. H. Saneii, Eds., Advanced Chemtech, 1998; “Principles of Peptide Synthesis, 2nd ed.,” M. Bodanszky, Ed., Springer-Verlag, 1993; “The Practice of Peptide Synthesis, 2nd ed.,” M. Bodanszky and A. Bodanszky, Eds., Springer-Verlag, 1994; “Protecting Groups,” P. J. Kocienski, Ed., Georg Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart, Germany, 1994; “Fmoc Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis, A Practical Approach,” W. C. Chan and P. D. White, Eds., Oxford Press, 2000, G. B. Fields et al., Synthetic Peptides: A User's Guide, 1990, 77-183).

Whether the compositions of the present invention are prepared by synthetic or recombinant techniques, suitable protein purification techniques can also be involved, when applicable. In some embodiments of the compositions of the invention, the toxin peptide portion and/or the half-life extending portion, or any other portion, can be prepared to include a suitable isotopic label (e.g., ¹²⁵I, ¹⁴C, ¹³C, ³⁵S, ³H, ²H, ¹³N, ¹⁵N, ¹⁸O, ¹⁷O, etc.), for ease of quantification or detection.

Compounds that contain derivatized peptides or polypeptides, or which contain non-peptide groups can be synthesized by well-known organic chemistry techniques.

Uses of the Inventive Compounds

In general. The compounds of this invention have pharmacologic activity resulting from their ability to bind to proteins of interest as agonists, mimetics or antagonists of the native ligands of such proteins of interest. By way of example, the utility of a variety of specific compounds is shown in Tables 5-10. The activity of these compounds can be measured by assays known in the art.

In addition to therapeutic uses, the compounds of the present invention are useful in diagnosing diseases characterized by dysfunction of their associated protein of interest. For some of these diagnostic embodiments and for other detection (including semi-quantitative and quantitative) purposes, conjugation of the Fc domain to an immobilized substrate as an additional functional moiety, such as but not limited to, a plate surface, a chip, a bead, a matrix or a particle, can be useful. Also a moiety detectably labeled with a radioisotope, an enzyme (e.g., a peroxidase or a kinase), a biotinyl moiety, a fluorophore, or a chromophore can be useful for such puposes.

In one embodiment, a method of detecting in a biological sample a protein of interest (e.g., a receptor) that is capable of being activated comprising the steps of: (a) contacting the sample with a compound of this invention; and (b) detecting activation of the protein of interest by the compound. The biological samples include tissue specimens, intact cells, or extracts thereof. The compounds of this invention may be used as part of a kit to detect the presence of their associated proteins of interest in a biological sample. Such kits employ the compounds of the invention having an attached label to allow for detection. The compounds are useful for identifying normal or abnormal proteins of interest. For the EPO-mimetic compounds, for example, presence of abnormal protein of interest in a biological sample may be indicative of such disorders as Diamond Blackfan anemia, where it is believed that the EPO receptor is dysfunctional.

Therapeutic Uses of EPO-Mimetic Molecules

The EPO-mimetic compounds of the invention are useful for treating disorders characterized by low red blood cell levels. Included in the invention are methods of modulating the endogenous activity of an EPO receptor in a mammal, preferably methods of increasing the activity of an EPO receptor. In general, any condition treatable by erythropoietin, such as anemia, may also be treated by the EPO-mimetic compounds of the invention. These compounds are administered by an amount and route of delivery that is appropriate for the nature and severity of the condition being treated and may be ascertained by one skilled in the art. Preferably, administration is by injection, either subcutaneous, intramuscular, or intravenous.

Therapeutic Uses of TPO-Mimetic Compounds

For the TPO-mimetic compounds, one can utilize such standard assays as those described in WO95/26746 entitled “Compositions and Methods for Stimulating Megakaryocyte Growth and Differentiation.” The conditions to be treated are generally those that involve an existing megakaryocyte/platelet deficiency or an expected megakaryocyte/platelet deficiency (e.g., because of planned surgery or platelet donation). Such conditions will usually be the result of a deficiency (temporary or permanent) of active Mpl ligand in vivo. The generic term for platelet deficiency is thrombocytopenia, and hence the methods and compositions of the present invention are generally available for treating thrombocytopenia in patients in need thereof.

Thrombocytopenia (platelet deficiencies) may be present for various reasons, including chemotherapy and other therapy with a variety of drugs, radiation therapy, surgery, accidental blood loss, and other specific disease conditions. Exemplary specific disease conditions that involve thrombocytopenia and may be treated in accordance with this invention are: aplastic anemia, idiopathic thrombocytopenia, metastatic tumors which result in thrombocytopenia, systemic lupus erythematosus, splenomegaly, Fanconi's syndrome, vitamin B12 deficiency, folic acid deficiency, May-Hegglin anomaly, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria. Also, certain treatments for AIDS result in thrombocytopenia (e.g., AZT). Certain wound healing disorders might also benefit from an increase in platelet numbers.

With regard to anticipated platelet deficiencies, e.g., due to future surgery, a compound of the present invention could be administered several days to several hours prior to the need for platelets. With regard to acute situations, e.g., accidental and massive blood loss, a compound of this invention could be administered along with blood or purified platelets.

The TPO-mimetic compounds of this invention may also be useful in stimulating certain cell types other than megakaryocytes if such cells are found to express Mpl receptor. Conditions associated with such cells that express the Mpl receptor, which are responsive to stimulation by the Mpl ligand, are also within the scope of this invention.

The TPO-mimetic compounds of this invention may be used in any situation in which production of platelets or platelet precursor cells is desired, or in which stimulation of the c-Mpl receptor is desired. Thus, for example, the compounds of this invention may be used to treat any condition in a mammal wherein there is a need of platelets, megakaryocytes, and the like. Such conditions are described in detail in the following exemplary sources: WO95/26746; WO95/21919; WO95/18858; WO95/21920 and are incorporated herein.

The TPO-mimetic compounds of this invention may also be useful in maintaining the viability or storage life of platelets and/or megakaryocytes and related cells. Accordingly, it could be useful to include an effective amount of one or more such compounds in a composition containing such cells.

Therapeutic Uses of Ang-2 Binding Molecules

Agents that modulate Ang-2 binding activity, or other cellular activity, may be used in combination with other therapeutic agents to enhance their therapeutic effects or decrease potential side effects.

In one aspect, the present invention provides reagents and methods useful for treating diseases and conditions characterized by undesirable or aberrant levels of Ang-2 activity in a cell. These diseases include cancers, and other hyperproliferative conditions, such as hyperplasia, psoriasis, contact dermatitis, immunological disorders, and infertility.

The present invention also provides methods of treating cancer in an animal, including humans, comprising administering to the animal an effective amount of a specific binding agent, such as a peptibody, that inhibits or decreases Ang-2 activity. The invention is further directed to methods of inhibiting cancer cell growth, including processes of cellular proliferation, invasiveness, and metastasis in biological systems. Methods include use of a compound of the invention as an inhibitor of cancer cell growth. Preferably, the methods are employed to inhibit or reduce cancer cell growth, invasiveness, metastasis, or tumor incidence in living animals, such as mammals. Methods of the invention are also readily adaptable for use in assay systems, e.g., assaying cancer cell growth and properties thereof, as well as identifying compounds that affect cancer cell growth.

The cancers treatable by methods of the present invention preferably occur in mammals. Mammals include, for example, humans and other primates, as well as pet or companion animals such as dogs and cats, laboratory animals such as rats, mice and rabbits, and farm animals such as horses, pigs, sheep, and cattle.

Tumors or neoplasms include growths of tissue cells in which the multiplication of the cells is uncontrolled and progressive. Some such growths are benign, but others are termed malignant and may lead to death of the organism. Malignant neoplasms or cancers are distinguished from benign growths in that, in addition to exhibiting aggressive cellular proliferation, they may invade surrounding tissues and metastasize. Moreover, malignant neoplasms are characterized in that they show a greater loss of differentiation (greater dedifferentiation), and of their organization relative to one another and their surrounding tissues. This property is also called “anaplasia.”

Neoplasms treatable by the present invention also include solid tumors, i.e., carcinomas and sarcomas. Carcinomas include those malignant neoplasms derived from epithelial cells that infiltrate (invade) the surrounding tissues and give rise to metastases. Adenocarcinomas are carcinomas derived from glandular tissue, or which form recognizable glandular structures. Another broad category or cancers includes sarcomas, which are tumors whose cells are embedded in a fibrillar or homogeneous substance like embryonic connective tissue. The invention also enables treatment of cancers of the myeloid or lymphoid systems, including leukemias, lymphomas and other cancers that typically do not present as a tumor mass, but are distributed in the vascular or lymphoreticular systems.

The ang-2 binding molecules of this invention are thus useful for the treatment of a wide variety of cancers, including solid tumors and leukemias. Types of cancer or tumor cells amenable to treatment according to the invention include, for example, ACTH-producing tumor; acute lymphocytic leukemia; acute nonlymphocytic leukemia; adenoma; cancer of the adrenal cortex; adenocarcinoma of the breast, prostate, and colon; ameloblastoma; apudoma; bladder cancer; brain cancer; branchioma; breast cancer; all forms of bronchogenic carcinoma of the lung; carcinoid heart disease; carcinoma (e.g., Walker, basal cell, basosquamous, Brown-Pearce, ductal, Ehrlich tumor, Krebs 2, merkel cell, mucinous, non-small cell lung, oat cell, papillary, scirrhous, bronchiolar, bronchogenic, squamous cell, and transitional cell); malignant carcinoid syndrome; immunoproliferative small lung cell carcinoma; cementoma; cervical cancer; chondroblastoma; chondroma; chondrosarcoma; choristoma; chronic lymphocytic leukemia; chronic myelocytic leukemia; colorectal cancer; chordoma; craniopharyngioma; cutaneous T-cell lymphoma; dysgerminoma; endometrial cancer; esophageal cancer; Ewing's sarcoma; fibroma; fibrosarcoma; gallbladder cancer; giant cell tumors; glioma; hairy cell leukemia; hamartoma; head and neck cancer; hepatoma; histiocytic disorders; histiocytosis; Hodgkin's lymphoma; Kaposi's sarcoma; kidney cancer; lipoma; liposarcoma; liver cancer; lung cancer (small and non-small cell); malignant peritoneal effusion; malignant pleural effusion; melanoma; mesenchymoma; mesonephroma; mesothelioma; multiple myeloma; myosarcoma; myxoma; myxosarcoma; neuroblastoma; non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; odontoma; osteoma; osteosarcoma; ovarian cancer; ovarian (germ cell) cancer; pancreatic cancer; papilloma; penile cancer; plasmacytoma; prostate cancer; reticuloendotheliosis; retinoblastoma; skin cancer; soft tissue sarcoma; squamous cell carcinomas; stomach cancer; teratoma; testicular cancer; thymoma; thyroid cancer; trophoblastic neoplasms; uterine cancer; vaginal cancer; cancer of the vulva; Wilms' tumor.

Further, the following types of cancers may also be treated: cholangioma; cholesteatoma; cyclindroma; cystadenocarcinoma; cystadenoma; granulosa cell tumor; gynandroblastoma; hidradenoma; islet cell tumor; Leydig cell tumor; papilloma; Sertoli cell tumor; theca cell tumor; leiomyoma; leiomyosarcoma; myoblastoma; myoma; myosarcoma; rhabdomyoma; rhabdomyosarcoma; ependymoma; ganglioneuroma; glioma; medulloblastoma; meningioma; neurilemmoma; neuroblastoma; neuroepithelioma; neurofibroma; neuroma; paraganglioma; paraganglioma nonchromaffin; angiokeratoma; angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia; angioma sclerosing; angiomatosis; glomangioma; hemangioendothelioma; hemangioma; hemangiopericytoma; hemangiosarcoma; lymphangioma; lymphangiomyoma; lymphangiosarcoma; pinealoma; carcinosarcoma; chondrosarcoma; cystosarcoma phyllodes; fibrosarcoma; hemangiosarcoma; leiomyosarcoma; leukosarcoma; liposarcoma; lymphangiosarcoma; myosarcoma; myxosarcoma; ovarian carcinoma; rhabdomyosarcoma; sarcoma; neoplasms; nerofibromatosis; and cervical dysplasia.

Therapeutic Uses of NGF Binding Molecules

The NGF binding molecules may be used in the prevention or treatment of NGF-related diseases and disorders. Such indications include but are not limited to pain (including, but not limited to, inflammatory pain and associated hyperalgesia and allodynia, neuropathic pain and associated hyperalgesia and allodynia, diabetic neuropathy pain, causalgia, sympathetically maintained pain, deafferentation syndromes, acute pain, tension headache, migraine, dental pain, pain from trauma, surgical pain, pain resulting from amputation or abscess, causalgia, demyelinating diseases, and trigeminal neuralgia). The peptides and modified peptides of the invention have therapeutic value for the prevention or treatment of other diseases linked to NGF as a causative agent, including, but not limited to, asthma, urge incontinence (i.e., hyperactive bladder), psoriasis, cancer (especially, pancreatic cancer and melanoma), chronic alcoholism, stroke, thalamic pain syndrome, diabetes, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (“AIDS”), toxins and chemotherapy, general headache, migraine, cluster headache, mixed-vascular and non-vascular syndromes, general inflammation, arthritis, rheumatic diseases, lupus, osteoarthritis, inflammatory bowel disorders, inflammatory eye disorders, inflammatory or unstable bladder disorders, psoriasis, skin complaints with inflammatory components, sunburn, carditis, dermatitis, myositis, neuritis, collagen vascular diseases, chronic inflammatory conditions, asthma, epithelial tissue damage or dysfunction, herpes simplex, disturbances of visceral motility at respiratory, genitourinary, gastrointestinal or vascular regions, wounds, burns, allergic skin reactions, pruritis, vitiligo, general gastrointestinal disorders, colitis, gastric ulceration, duodenal ulcers, vasomotor or allergic rhinitis, or bronchial disorders.

Therapeutic Uses of Myostatin Binding Molecules

The myostatin binding agents of the present invention bind to myostatin and block or inhibit myostatin signaling within targeted cells. The present invention provides methods and reagents for reducing the amount or activity of myostatin in an animal by administering an effective dosage of one or more myostatin binding agents to the animal. In one aspect, the present invention provides methods and reagents for treating myostatin-related disorders in an animal comprising administering an effective dosage of one or more binding agents to the animal. These myostatin-related disorders include but are not limited to various forms of muscle wasting, as well as metabolic disorders such as diabetes and related disorders, and bone degenerative diseases such as osteoporosis.

As shown in the Example 8 of U.S. Ser. No. 10/742,379, exemplary peptibodies of the present invention dramatically increases lean muscle mass in the CD1 nu/nu mouse model. This in vivo activity correlates to the in vitro binding and inhibitory activity described below for the same peptibodies.

Muscle wasting disorders include dystrophies such as Duchenne's muscular dystrophy, progressive muscular dystrophy, Becker's type muscular dystrophy, Dejerine-Landouzy muscular dystrophy, Erb's muscular dystrophy, and infantile neuroaxonal muscular dystrophy. For example, blocking myostatin through use of antibodies in vivo improved the dystrophic phenotype of the mdx mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Bogdanovich et al. (2002), Nature 420: 28). Use of an exemplary peptibody increases lean muscle mass and increases the ratio of lean muscle to fat in mdx mouse models as described in Example 9 below.

Additional muscle wasting disorders arise from chronic disease such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, congestive obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer, AIDS, renal failure, and rheumatoid arthritis. For example, cachexia or muscle wasting and loss of body weight was induced in athymic nude mice by a systemically administered myostatin (Zimmers et al., supra). In another example, serum and intramuscular concentrations of myostatin-immunoreactive protein was found to be increased in men exhibiting AIDS-related muscle wasting and was inversely related to fat-free mass (Gonzalez-Cadavid et al. (1998), PNAS USA 95: 14938-14943). Additional conditions resulting in muscle wasting may arise from inactivity due to disability such as confinement in a wheelchair, prolonged bedrest due to stroke, illness, bone fracture or trauma, and muscular atrophy in a microgravity environment (space flight). For example, plasma myostatin immunoreactive protein was found to increase after prolonged bedrest (Zachwieja et al. J Gravit Physiol. 6(2):11 (1999). It was also found that the muscles of rats exposed to a microgravity environment during a space shuttle flight expressed an increased amount of myostatin compared with the muscles of rats which were not exposed (Lalani et al. (2000), J. Endocrin. 167(3):417-28).

In addition, age-related increases in fat to muscle ratios, and age-related muscular atrophy appear to be related to myostatin. For example, the average serum myostatin-immunoreactive protein increased with age in groups of young (19-35 yr old), middle-aged (36-75 yr old), and elderly (76-92 yr old) men and women, while the average muscle mass and fat-free mass declined with age in these groups (Yarasheski et al. J Nutr Aging 6(5):343-8 (2002)). It has also been shown that myostatin gene knockout in mice increased myogenesis and decreased adipogenesis (Lin et al. (2002), Biochem Biophys Res Commun 291(3):701-6, resulting in adults with increased muscle mass and decreased fat accumulation and leptin secretion. Exemplary molecules improve the lean muscle mass to fat ratio in aged mdx mice as shown below.

In addition, myostatin has now been found to be expressed at low levels in heart muscle and expression is upregulated after cardiomyocytes after infarct (Sharma et al. (1999), J Cell Physiol. 180(1):1-9). Therefore, reducing myostatin levels in the heart muscle may improve recovery of heart muscle after infarct.

Myostatin also appears to influence metabolic disorders including type 2 diabetes, noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, hyperglycemia, and obesity. For example, lack of myostatin has been shown to improve the obese and diabetic phenotypes of two mouse models (Yen et al. supra). In addition, increasing muscle mass by reducing myostatin levels may improve bone strength and reduce osteoporosis and other degenerative bone diseases. It has been found, for example, that myostatin-deficient mice showed increased mineral content and density of the mouse humerus and increased mineral content of both trabecular and cortical bone at the regions where the muscles attach, as well as increased muscle mass (Hamrick et al. (2002), Calcif Tissue Int 71(1): 63-8). In the present invention, an exemplary peptibody increases the lean muscle mass to fat ratio in mdx mouse models as shown below.

The present invention also provides methods and reagents for increasing muscle mass in food animals by administering an effective dosage of the myostatin binding agent to the animal. Since the mature C-terminal myostatin polypeptide is identical in all species tested, myostatin binding agents would be expected to be effective for increasing muscle mass and reducing fat in any agriculturally important species including cattle, chicken, turkeys, and pigs.

The myostatin-binding molecules of the present invention may be used alone or in combination with other therapeutic agents to enhance their therapeutic effects or decrease potential side effects. The molecules of the present invention possess one or more desirable but unexpected combination of properties to improve the therapeutic value of the agents. These properties include increased activity, increased solubility, reduced degradation, increased half-life, reduced toxicity, and reduced immunogenicity. Thus the molecules of the present invention are useful for extended treatment regimes. In addition, the properties of hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity of the compounds of the invention are well balanced, thereby enhancing their utility for both in vitro and especially in vivo uses. Specifically, compounds of the invention have an appropriate degree of solubility in aqueous media that permits absorption and bioavailability in the body, while also having a degree of solubility in lipids that permits the compounds to traverse the cell membrane to a putative site of action, such as a particular muscle mass.

The myostatin-binding molecules of the present invention are useful for treating a “subject” or any animal, including humans, when administered in an effective dosages in a suitable composition.

In addition, the mystatin-binding molecules of the present invention are useful for detecting and quantitating myostatin in a number of assays. These assays are described in detail in U.S. Ser. No. 10/742,379.

In general, the myostatin-binding molecules of the present invention are useful as capture agents to bind and immobilize myostatin in a variety of assays, similar to those described, for example, in Asai, ed., Methods in Cell Biology, 37, Antibodies in Cell Biology, Academic Press, Inc., New York (1993). The myostatin-binding molecule may be labeled in some manner or may react with a third molecule such as an anti-binding molecule antibody which is labeled to enable myostatin to be detected and quantitated. For example, a myostatin-binding molecule or a third molecule can be modified with a detectable moiety, such as biotin, which can then be bound by a fourth molecule, such as enzyme-labeled streptavidin, or other proteins. (Akerstrom (1985), J Immunol 135:2589; Chaubert (1997), Mod Pathol 10:585).

Throughout any particular assay, incubation and/or washing steps may be required after each combination of reagents. Incubation steps can vary from about 5 seconds to several hours, preferably from about 5 minutes to about 24 hours. However, the incubation time will depend upon the assay format, volume of solution, concentrations, and the like. Usually, the assays will be carried out at ambient temperature, although they can be conducted over a range of temperatures.

Therapeutic uses of BAFF-binding molecules. Baff-Binding molecules of this invention may be particularly useful in treatment of B-cell mediated autoimmune diseases. In particular, they may be useful in treating, preventing, ameliorating, diagnosing or prognosing lupus, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and lupus-associated diseases and conditions. Other preferred indications include B-cell mediated cancers, including B-cell lymphoma.

The compounds of this invention can also be used to treat inflammatory conditions of the joints. Inflammatory conditions of a joint are chronic joint diseases that afflict and disable, to varying degrees, millions of people worldwide. Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease of articular joints in which the cartilage and bone are slowly eroded away by a proliferative, invasive connective tissue called pannus, which is derived from the synovial membrane. The disease may involve peri-articular structures such as bursae, tendon sheaths and tendons as well as extra-articular tissues such as the subcutis, cardiovascular system, lungs, spleen, lymph nodes, skeletal muscles, nervous system (central and peripheral) and eyes (Silberberg (1985), Anderson's Pathology, Kissane (ed.), II:1828). Osteoarthritis is a common joint disease characterized by degenerative changes in articular cartilage and reactive proliferation of bone and cartilage around the joint. Osteoarthritis is a cell-mediated active process that may result from the inappropriate response of chondrocytes to catabolic and anabolic stimuli. Changes in some matrix molecules of articular cartilage reportedly occur in early osteoarthritis (Thonar et al. (1993), Rheumatic disease clinics of North America, Moskowitz (ed.), 19:635-657 and Shinmei et al. (1992), Arthritis Rheum., 35:1304-1308). TALL-1, TALL-1R and modulators thereof are believed to be useful in the treatment of these and related conditions.

BAFF-binding molecules may also be useful in treatment of a number of additional diseases and disorders, including acute pancreatitis; ALS; Alzheimer's disease; asthma; atherosclerosis; autoimmune hemolytic anemia; cancer, particularly cancers related to B cells; cachexia/anorexia; chronic fatigue syndrome; cirrhosis (e.g., primary biliary cirrhosis); diabetes (e.g., insulin diabetes); fever; glomerulonephritis, including IgA glomerulonephritis and primary glomerulonephritis; Goodpasture's syndrome; Guillain-Barre syndrome; graft versus host disease; Hashimoto's thyroiditis; hemorrhagic shock; hyperalgesia; inflammatory bowel disease; inflammatory conditions of a joint, including osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis; inflammatory conditions resulting from strain, sprain, cartilage damage, trauma, orthopedic surgery, infection or other disease processes; insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus; ischemic injury, including cerebral ischemia (e.g., brain injury as a result of trauma, epilepsy, hemorrhage or stroke, each of which may lead to neurodegeneration); learning impairment; lung diseases (e.g., ARDS); lupus, particularly systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); multiple myeloma; multiple sclerosis; Myasthenia gravis; myelogenous (e.g., AML and CML) and other leukemias; myopathies (e.g., muscle protein metabolism, esp. in sepsis); neurotoxicity (e.g., as induced by HIV); osteoporosis; pain; Parkinson's disease; Pemphigus; polymyositis/dermatomyositis; pulmonary inflammation, including autoimmune pulmonary inflammation; pre-term labor; psoriasis; Reiter's disease; reperfusion injury; septic shock; side effects from radiation therapy; Sjogren's syndrome; sleep disturbance; temporal mandibular joint disease; thrombocytopenia, including idiopathic thrombocytopenia and autoimmune neonatal thrombocytopenia; tumor metastasis; uveitis; and vasculitis.

Combination Therapy. The therapeutic methods, compositions and compounds of the present invention may also be employed, alone or in combination with other cytokines, soluble Mpl receptor, hematopoietic factors, interleukins, growth factors or antibodies in the treatment of disease states characterized by other symptoms as well as platelet deficiencies. It is anticipated that the inventive compound will prove useful in treating some forms of thrombocytopenia in combination with general stimulators of hematopoiesis, such as IL-3 or GM-CSF. Other megakaryocytic stimulatory factors, i.e., meg-CSF, stem cell factor (SCF), leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), oncostatin M (OSM), or other molecules with megakaryocyte stimulating activity may also be employed with Mpl ligand. Additional exemplary cytokines or hematopoietic factors for such co-administration include IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-11, colony stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1), SCF, GM-CSF, granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), EPO, interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha), consensus interferon, IFN-beta, or IFN-gamma. It may further be useful to administer, either simultaneously or sequentially, an effective amount of a soluble mammalian Mpl receptor, which appears to have an effect of causing megakaryocytes to fragment into platelets once the megakaryocytes have reached mature form. Thus, administration of an inventive compound (to enhance the number of mature megakaryocytes) followed by administration of the soluble Mpl receptor (to inactivate the ligand and allow the mature megakaryocytes to produce platelets) is expected to be a particularly effective means of stimulating platelet production. The dosage recited above would be adjusted to compensate for such additional components in the therapeutic composition. Progress of the treated patient can be monitored by conventional methods.

In cases where the inventive compounds are added to compositions of platelets and/or megakaryocytes and related cells, the amount to be included will generally be ascertained experimentally by techniques and assays known in the art. An exemplary range of amounts is 0.1 μg-1 mg inventive compound per 10⁶ cells.

Therapeutics incorporating toxin peptides. Some embodiments of the inventive composition of matter incorporate toxin peptides as additional functional moieties, which toxin peptides can have pharmacologic activity resulting from the ability to bind to ion channels of interest as agonists, mimetics or antagonists of the native ligands of such ion channels of interest. Consequently such embodiments of the inventive composition of matter can have utility in the treatment of pathologies associated with ion channels. Heritable diseases that have a known linkage to ion channels (“channelopathies”) cover various fields of medicine, some of which include neurology, nephrology, myology and cardiology. A list of inherited disorders attributed to ion channels (channel types in parentheses) includes:

-   -   cystic fibrosis (Cl⁻ channel; CFTR),     -   Dent's disease (proteinuria and hypercalciuria; Cl⁻ channel;         CLCN5),     -   osteopetrosis (Cl⁻ channel; CLCN7),     -   familial hyperinsulinemia (SUR1; KCNJ11; K channel),     -   diabetes (KATP/SUR channel),     -   Andersen syndrome (KCNJ2, Kir2.1 K channel),     -   Bartter syndrome (KCNJ1; Kir1.1/ROMK; K channel),     -   hereditary hearing loss (KCNQ4; K channel),     -   hereditary hypertension (Liddle's syndrome; SCNN1; epithelial Na         channel),     -   dilated cardiomyopathy (SUR2, K channel),     -   long-QT syndrome or cardiac arrhythmias (cardiac potassium and         sodium channels),     -   Thymothy syndrome (CACNA1C, Cav1.2),     -   myasthenic syndromes (CHRNA,CHRNB,CNRNE; nAChR), and a variety         of other myopathies,     -   hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (Na and K channels),     -   epilepsy (Na⁺ and K⁺ channels),     -   hemiplegic migraine (CACNA1A, Cav2.1 Ca²⁺ channel and ATP1A2),     -   central core disease (RYR1, RyR1; Ca²⁺ channel), and     -   paramyotonia and myotonia (Na⁺, Cl⁻ channels)         See L. J. Ptacek and Y-H Fu (2004), Arch. Neurol. 61:         166-8; B. A. Niemeyer et al. (2001), EMBO reports 21: 568-73; F.         Lehmann-Horn and K. Jurkat-Rott (1999), Physiol. Rev. 79:         1317-72. Although the foregoing list concerned disorders of         inherited origin, molecules targeting the channels cited in         these disorders can also be useful in treating related disorders         of other, or indeterminate, origin.

In addition to the aforementioned disorders, evidence has also been provided supporting ion channels as targets for treatment of:

sickle cell anemia (IKCal)—in sickle cell anemia, water loss from erythrocytes leads to hemoglobin polymerization and subsequent hemolysis and vascular obstruction. The water loss is consequent to potassium efflux through the so-called Gardos channel i.e., IKCal. Therefore, block of IKCal is a potential therapeutic treatment for sickle cell anemia.

-   -   glaucoma (BKCa),—in glaucoma the intraocular pressure is too         high leading to optic nerve damage, abnormal eye function and         possibly blindness. Block of BKCa potassium channels can reduce         intraocular fluid secretion and increase smooth muscle         contraction, possibly leading to lower intraocular pressure and         neuroprotection in the eye.     -   multiple sclerosis (Kv, KCa),     -   psoriasis (Kv, KCa),     -   arthritis (Kv, KCa),     -   asthma (KCa, Kv),     -   allergy(KCa, Kv),     -   COPD (KCa, Kv, Ca),     -   allergic rhinitis (KCa, Kv),     -   pulmonary fibrosis,     -   lupus (IKCal, Kv),     -   transplantation, GvHD (KCa, Kv),     -   inflammatory bone resorption (KCa, Kv),     -   periodontal disease (KCa, Kv),     -   diabetes, type I (Kv),—type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease         that is characterized by abnormal glucose, protein and lipid         metabolism and is associated with insulin deficiency or         resistance. In this disease, Kv1.3-expressing T-lymphocytes         attack and destroy pancreatic islets leading to loss of         beta-cells. Block of Kv1.3 decreases inflammatory cytokines. In         addition block of Kv1.3 facilitates the translocation of GLUT4         to the plasma membrane, thereby increasing insulin sensitivity.     -   obesity (Kv),—Kv1.3 appears to play a critical role in         controlling energy homeostasis and in protecting against         diet-induced obesity. Consequently, Kv1.3 blockers could         increase metabolic rate, leading to greater energy utilization         and decreased body weight.     -   restenosis (KCa, Ca²⁺),—proliferation and migration of vascular         smooth muscle cells can lead to neointimal thickening and         vascular restenosis. Excessive neointimal vascular smooth muscle         cell proliferation is associated with elevated expression of         IKCal. Therefore, block of IKCal could represent a therapeutic         strategy to prevent restenosis after angioplasty.     -   ischaemia (KCa, Ca²⁺),—in neuronal or cardiac ischemia,         depolarization of cell membranes leads to opening of         voltage-gated sodium and calcium channels. In turn this can lead         to calcium overload, which is cytotoxic. Block of voltage-gated         sodium and/or calcium channels can reduce calcium overload and         provide cytoprotective effects. In addition, due to their         critical role in controlling and stabilizing cell membrane         potential, modulators of voltage- and calcium-activated         potassium channels can also act to reduce calcium overload and         protect cells.

renal incontinence (KCa), renal incontinence is associated with overactive bladder smooth muscle cells. Calcium-activated potassium channels are expressed in bladder smooth muscle cells, where they control the membrane potential and indirectly control the force and frequency of cell contraction. Openers of calcium-activated potassium channels therefore provide a mechanism to dampen electrical and contractile activity in bladder, leading to reduced urge to urinate.

osteoporosis (Kv),

pain, including migraine (Na_(v), TRP [transient receptor potential channels], P2X, Ca²⁺), N-type voltage-gated calcium channels are key regulators of nociceptive neurotransmission in the spinal cord. Ziconotide, a peptide blocker of N-type calcium channels reduces nociceptive neurotransmission and is approved worldwide for the symptomatic alleviation of severe chronic pain in humans. Novel blockers of nociceptor-specific N-type calcium channels would be improved analgesics with reduced side-effect profiles.

-   -   hypertension (Ca²⁺),—L-type and T-type voltage-gated calcium         channels are expressed in vascular smooth muscle cells where         they control excitation-contraction coupling and cellular         proliferation. In particular, T-type calcium channel activity         has been linked to neointima formation during hypertension.         Blockers of L-type and T-type calcium channels are useful for         the clinical treatment of hypertension because they reduce         calcium influx and inhibit smooth muscle cell contraction.     -   wound healing, cell migration serves a key role in wound         healing. Intracellular calcium gradients have been implicated as         important regulators of cellular migration machinery in         keratinocytes and fibroblasts. In addition, ion flux across cell         membranes is associated with cell volume changes. By controlling         cell volume, ion channels contribute to the intracellular         environment that is required for operation of the cellular         migration machinery. In particular, IKCal appears to be required         universally for cell migration. In addition, Kv1.3, Kv3.1, NMDA         receptors and N-type calcium channels are associated with the         migration of lymphocytes and neurons.     -   stroke,     -   Alzheimer's,     -   Parkenson's Disease (nACHR, Nav)     -   Bipolar Disorder (Nav, Cav)     -   cancer, many potassium channel genes are amplified and protein         subunits are upregulated in many cancerous condition. Consistent         with a pathophysiological role for potassium channel         upregulation, potassium channel blockers have been shown to         suppress proliferation of uterine cancer cells and         hepatocarcinoma cells, presumably through inhibition of calcium         influx and effects on calcium-dependent gene expression.     -   a variety of neurological, cardiovascular, metabolic and         autoimmune diseases.

Both agonists and antagonists of ion channels can achieve therapeutic benefit. Therapeutic benefits can result, for example, from antagonizing Kv1.3, IKCal, SKCa, BKCa, N-type or T-type Ca²⁺ channels and the like. Small molecule and peptide antagonists of these channels have been shown to possess utility in vitro and in vivo.

The diseases and pharmacologically active additional moieties described herein are merely exemplary and in no way limit the range of inventive pharmacologically active compounds and compositions that can be prepared using the inventive method or the diseases and disorders that can be treated with the benefit of the present invention.

Pharmaceutical Compositions

In General. The present invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising the inventive composition of matter and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. Such pharmaceutical compositions can be configured for administration to a patient by a wide variety of delivery routes, e.g., an intravascular delivery route such as by injection or infusion, subcutaneous, intramuscular, intraperitoneal, epidural, or intrathecal delivery routes, or for oral, enteral, pulmonary (e.g., inhalant), intranasal, transmucosal (e.g., sublingual administration), transdermal or other delivery routes and/or forms of administration known in the art. The inventive pharmaceutical compositions may be prepared in liquid form, or may be in dried powder form, such as lyophilized form. For oral or enteral use, the pharmaceutical compositions can be configured, for example, as tablets, troches, lozenges, aqueous or oily suspensions, dispersible powders or granules, emulsions, hard or soft capsules, syrups, elixirs or enteral formulas.

In the practice of this invention the “pharmaceutically acceptable carrier” is any physiologically tolerated substance known to those of ordinary skill in the art useful in formulating pharmaceutical compositions, including, any pharmaceutically acceptable diluents, excipients, dispersants, binders, fillers, glidants, anti-frictional agents, compression aids, tablet-disintegrating agents (disintegrants), suspending agents, lubricants, flavorants, odorants, sweeteners, permeation or penetration enhancers, preservatives, surfactants, solubilizers, emulsifiers, thickeners, adjuvants, dyes, coatings, encapsulating material(s), and/or other additives singly or in combination. Such pharmaceutical compositions can include diluents of various buffer content (e.g., Tris-HCl, acetate, phosphate), pH and ionic strength; additives such as detergents and solubilizing agents (e.g., Tween® 80, Polysorbate 80), anti-oxidants (e.g., ascorbic acid, sodium metabisulfite), preservatives (e.g., Thimersol®, benzyl alcohol) and bulking substances (e.g., lactose, mannitol); incorporation of the material into particulate preparations of polymeric compounds such as polylactic acid, polyglycolic acid, etc. or into liposomes. Hyaluronic acid can also be used, and this can have the effect of promoting sustained duration in the circulation. Such compositions can influence the physical state, stability, rate of in vivo release, and rate of in vivo clearance of the present proteins and derivatives. See, e.g., Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences, 18th Ed. (1990, Mack Publishing Co., Easton, Pa. 18042) pages 1435-1712, which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. The compositions can be prepared in liquid form, or can be in dried powder, such as lyophilized form. Implantable sustained release formulations are also useful, as are transdermal or transmucosal formulations. Additionally (or alternatively), the present invention provides compositions for use in any of the various slow or sustained release formulations or microparticle formulations known to the skilled artisan, for example, sustained release microparticle formulations, which can be administered via pulmonary, intranasal, or subcutaneous delivery routes.

One can dilute the inventive compositions or increase the volume of the pharmaceutical compositions of the invention with an inert material. Such diluents can include carbohydrates, especially, mannitol, a-lactose, anhydrous lactose, cellulose, sucrose, modified dextrans and starch. Certain inorganic salts may also be used as fillers, including calcium triphosphate, magnesium carbonate and sodium chloride. Some commercially available diluents are Fast-Flo, Emdex, STA-Rx 1500, Emcompress and Avicell.

A variety of conventional thickeners are useful in creams, ointments, suppository and gel configurations of the pharmaceutical composition, such as, but not limited to, alginate, xanthan gum, or petrolatum, may also be employed in such configurations of the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention. A permeation or penetration enhancer, such as polyethylene glycol monolaurate, dimethyl sulfoxide, N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone, N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-pyrrolidone, or 3-hydroxy-N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone can also be employed. Useful techniques for producing hydrogel matrices are known. (E.g., Feijen, Biodegradable hydrogel matrices for the controlled release of pharmacologically active agents, U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,677; Shah et al., Biodegradable pH/thermosensitive hydrogels for sustained delivery of biologically active agents, WO 00/38651 A1). Such biodegradable gel matrices can be formed, for example, by crosslinking a proteinaceous component and a polysaccharide or mucopolysaccharide component, then loading with the inventive composition of matter to be delivered.

Liquid pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention that are sterile solutions or suspensions can be administered to a patient by injection, for example, intramuscularly, intrathecally, epidurally, intravascularly (e.g., intravenously or intraarterially), intraperitoneally or subcutaneously. (See, e.g., Goldenberg et al., Suspensions for the sustained release of proteins, U.S. Pat. No. 6,245,740 and WO 00/38652 A1). Sterile solutions can also be administered by intravenous infusion. The inventive composition can be included in a sterile solid pharmaceutical composition, such as a lyophilized powder, which can be dissolved or suspended at a convenient time before administration to a patient using sterile water, saline, buffered saline or other appropriate sterile injectable medium.

Implantable sustained release formulations are also useful embodiments of the inventive pharmaceutical compositions. For example, the pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, being a biodegradable matrix implanted within the body or under the skin of a human or non-human vertebrate, can be a hydrogel similar to those described above. Alternatively, it may be formed from a poly-alpha-amino acid component. (Sidman, Biodegradable, implantable drug delivery device, and process for preparing and using same, U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,337). Other techniques for making implants for delivery of drugs are also known and useful in accordance with the present invention.

In powder forms, the pharmaceutically acceptable carrier is a finely divided solid, which is in admixture with finely divided active ingredient(s), including the inventive composition. For example, in some embodiments, a powder form is useful when the pharmaceutical composition is configured as an inhalant. (See, e.g., Zeng et al., Method of preparing dry powder inhalation compositions, WO 2004/017918; Trunk et al., Salts of the CGRP antagonist BIBN4096 and inhalable powdered medicaments containing them, U.S. Pat. No. 6,900,317).

One can dilute or increase the volume of the compound of the invention with an inert material. These diluents could include carbohydrates, especially mannitol, a-lactose, anhydrous lactose, cellulose, sucrose, modified dextrans and starch. Certain inorganic salts can also be used as fillers including calcium triphosphate, magnesium carbonate and sodium chloride. Some commercially available diluents are Fast-Flo™, Emdex™, STA-Rx™ 1500, Emcompress™ and Avicell™.

Disintegrants can be included in the formulation of the pharmaceutical composition into a solid dosage form. Materials used as disintegrants include but are not limited to starch including the commercial disintegrant based on starch, Explotab™. Sodium starch glycolate, Amberlite™, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, ultramylopectin, sodium alginate, gelatin, orange peel, acid carboxymethyl cellulose, natural sponge and bentonite can all be used. Insoluble cationic exchange resin is another form of disintegrant. Powdered gums can be used as disintegrants and as binders and these can include powdered gums such as agar, Karaya or tragacanth. Alginic acid and its sodium salt are also useful as disintegrants.

Binders can be used to hold the therapeutic agent together to form a hard tablet and include materials from natural products such as acacia, tragacanth, starch and gelatin. Others include methyl cellulose (MC), ethyl cellulose (EC) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). Polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC) could both be used in alcoholic solutions to granulate the therapeutic.

An antifrictional agent can be included in the formulation of the therapeutic to prevent sticking during the formulation process. Lubricants can be used as a layer between the therapeutic and the die wall, and these can include but are not limited to; stearic acid including its magnesium and calcium salts, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), liquid paraffin, vegetable oils and waxes. Soluble lubricants can also be used such as sodium lauryl sulfate, magnesium lauryl sulfate, polyethylene glycol of various molecular weights, Carbowax 4000 and 6000.

Glidants that might improve the flow properties of the drug during formulation and to aid rearrangement during compression might be added. The glidants can include starch, talc, pyrogenic silica and hydrated silicoaluminate.

To aid dissolution of the compound of this invention into the aqueous environment a surfactant might be added as a wetting agent. Surfactants can include anionic detergents such as sodium lauryl sulfate, dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate and dioctyl sodium sulfonate. Cationic detergents might be used and could include benzalkonium chloride or benzethonium chloride. The list of potential nonionic detergents that could be included in the formulation as surfactants are lauromacrogol 400, polyoxyl 40 stearate, polyoxyethylene hydrogenated castor oil 10, 50 and 60, glycerol monostearate, polysorbate 40, 60, 65 and 80, sucrose fatty acid ester, methyl cellulose and carboxymethyl cellulose. These surfactants could be present in the formulation of the protein or derivative either alone or as a mixture in different ratios.

Oral dosage forms. Also useful are oral dosage forms of the inventive compositionss. If necessary, the composition can be chemically modified so that oral delivery is efficacious. Generally, the chemical modification contemplated is the attachment of at least one moiety to the molecule itself, where said moiety permits (a) inhibition of proteolysis; and (b) uptake into the blood stream from the stomach or intestine. Also desired is the increase in overall stability of the compound and increase in circulation time in the body. Moieties useful as covalently attached half-life extending moieties in this invention can also be used for this purpose. Examples of such moieties include: PEG, copolymers of ethylene glycol and propylene glycol, carboxymethyl cellulose, dextran, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone and polyproline. See, for example, Abuchowski and Davis (1981), Soluble Polymer-Enzyme Adducts, Enzymes as Drugs (Hocenberg and Roberts, eds.), Wiley-Interscience, New York, N.Y., pp 367-83; Newmark, et al. (1982), J. Appl. Biochem. 4:185-9. Other polymers that could be used are poly-1,3-dioxolane and poly-1,3,6-tioxocane. Preferred for pharmaceutical usage, as indicated above, are PEG moieties.

For oral delivery dosage forms, it is also possible to use a salt of a modified aliphatic amino acid, such as sodium N-(8-[2-hydroxybenzoyl]amino) caprylate (SNAC), as a carrier to enhance absorption of the therapeutic compounds of this invention. The clinical efficacy of a heparin formulation using SNAC has been demonstrated in a Phase II trial conducted by Emisphere Technologies. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,792,451, “Oral drug delivery composition and methods.”

In one embodiment, the pharmaceutically acceptable carrier can be a liquid and the pharmaceutical composition is prepared in the form of a solution, suspension, emulsion, syrup, elixir or pressurized composition. The active ingredient(s) (e.g., the inventive composition of matter) can be dissolved, diluted or suspended in a pharmaceutically acceptable liquid carrier such as water, an organic solvent, a mixture of both, or pharmaceutically acceptable oils or fats. The liquid carrier can contain other suitable pharmaceutical additives such as detergents and/or solubilizers (e.g., Tween 80, Polysorbate 80), emulsifiers, buffers at appropriate pH (e.g., Tris-HCl, acetate, phosphate), adjuvants, anti-oxidants (e.g., ascorbic acid, sodium metabisulfite), preservatives (e.g., Thimersol, benzyl alcohol), sweeteners, flavoring agents, suspending agents, thickening agents, bulking substances (e.g., lactose, mannitol), colors, viscosity regulators, stabilizers, electrolytes, osmolutes or osmo-regulators. Additives can also be included in the formulation to enhance uptake of the inventive composition. Additives potentially having this property are for instance the fatty acids oleic acid, linoleic acid and linolenic acid.

Useful are oral solid dosage forms, which are described generally in Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences (1990), supra, in Chapter 89, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Solid dosage forms include tablets, capsules, pills, troches or lozenges, cachets or pellets. Also, liposomal or proteinoid encapsulation can be used to formulate the present compositions (as, for example, proteinoid microspheres reported in U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,673). Liposomal encapsulation can be used and the liposomes can be derivatized with various polymers (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,556). A description of possible solid dosage forms for the therapeutic is given in Marshall, K., Modern Pharmaceutics (1979), edited by G. S. Banker and C. T. Rhodes, in Chapter 10, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. In general, the formulation will include the inventive compound, and inert ingredients that allow for protection against the stomach environment, and release of the biologically active material in the intestine.

The composition of this invention can be included in the formulation as fine multiparticulates in the form of granules or pellets of particle size about 1 mm. The formulation of the material for capsule administration could also be as a powder, lightly compressed plugs or even as tablets. The therapeutic could be prepared by compression.

Colorants and flavoring agents can all be included. For example, the protein (or derivative) can be formulated (such as by liposome or microsphere encapsulation) and then further contained within an edible product, such as a refrigerated beverage containing colorants and flavoring agents.

In tablet form, the active ingredient(s) are mixed with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier having the necessary compression properties in suitable proportions and compacted in the shape and size desired. The powders and tablets preferably contain up to 99% of the active ingredient(s). Suitable solid carriers include, for example, calcium phosphate, magnesium stearate, talc, sugars, lactose, dextrin, starch, gelatin, cellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidine, low melting waxes and ion exchange resins.

Controlled release formulation can be desirable. The composition of this invention could be incorporated into an inert matrix that permits release by either diffusion or leaching mechanisms e.g., gums. Slowly degenerating matrices can also be incorporated into the formulation, e.g., alginates, polysaccharides. Another form of a controlled release of the compositions of this invention is by a method based on the Oros™ therapeutic system (Alza Corp.), i.e., the drug is enclosed in a semipermeable membrane which allows water to enter and push drug out through a single small opening due to osmotic effects. Some enteric coatings also have a delayed release effect.

Other coatings can be used for the formulation. These include a variety of sugars that could be applied in a coating pan. The therapeutic agent could also be given in a film-coated tablet and the materials used in this instance are divided into 2 groups. The first are the nonenteric materials and include methylcellulose, ethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, methylhydroxy-ethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl-methyl cellulose, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, providone and the polyethylene glycols. The second group consists of the enteric materials that are commonly esters of phthalic acid.

A mix of materials might be used to provide the optimum film coating. Film coating can be carried out in a pan coater or in a fluidized bed or by compression coating.

Pulmonary delivery forms. Pulmonary delivery of the inventive compositions is also useful. The protein (or derivative) is delivered to the lungs of a mammal while inhaling and traverses across the lung epithelial lining to the blood stream. (Other reports of this include Adjei et al., Pharma. Res. (1990) 7: 565-9; Adjei et al. (1990), Internatl. J. Pharmaceutics 63: 135-44 (leuprolide acetate); Braquet et al. (1989), J. Cardiovasc. Pharmacol. 13 (suppl.5): s.143-146 (endothelin-1); Hubbard et al. (1989), Annals Int. Med. 3: 206-12 (al-antitrypsin); Smith et al. (1989), J. Clin. Invest. 84: 1145-6 (a 1-proteinase); Oswein et al. (March 1990), “Aerosolization of Proteins,” Proc. Symp. Resp. Drug Delivery II, Keystone, Colo. (recombinant human growth hormone); Debs et al. (1988), J. Immunol. 140: 3482-8 (interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor α) and Platz et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,284,656 (granulocyte colony stimulating factor). Useful in the practice of this invention are a wide range of mechanical devices designed for pulmonary delivery of therapeutic products, including but not limited to nebulizers, metered dose inhalers, and powder inhalers, all of which are familiar to those skilled in the art. Some specific examples of commercially available devices suitable for the practice of this invention are the Ultravent nebulizer, manufactured by Mallinckrodt, Inc., St. Louis, Mo.; the Acorn II nebulizer, manufactured by Marquest Medical Products, Englewood, Colo.; the Ventolin metered dose inhaler, manufactured by Glaxo Inc., Research Triangle Park, N.C.; and the Spinhaler powder inhaler, manufactured by Fisons Corp., Bedford, Mass. (See, e.g., Helgesson et al, Inhalation device, U.S. Pat. No. 6,892,728; McDerment et al., Dry powder inhaler, WO 02/11801 A1; Ohki et al., Inhalant medicator, U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,086).

All such devices require the use of formulations suitable for the dispensing of the inventive compound. Typically, each formulation is specific to the type of device employed and can involve the use of an appropriate propellant material, in addition to diluents, adjuvants and/or carriers useful in therapy.

The inventive compound should most advantageously be prepared in particulate form with an average particle size of less than 10 μm (or microns), most preferably 0.5 to 5 μm, for most effective delivery to the distal lung.

Pharmaceutically acceptable carriers include carbohydrates such as trehalose, mannitol, xylitol, sucrose, lactose, and sorbitol. Other ingredients for use in formulations can include DPPC, DOPE, DSPC and DOPC. Natural or synthetic surfactants can be used. PEG can be used (even apart from its use in derivatizing the protein or analog). Dextrans, such as cyclodextran, can be used. Bile salts and other related enhancers can be used. Cellulose and cellulose derivatives can be used. Amino acids can be used, such as use in a buffer formulation.

Also, the use of liposomes, microcapsules or microspheres, inclusion complexes, or other types of carriers is contemplated.

Formulations suitable for use with a nebulizer, either jet or ultrasonic, will typically comprise the inventive compound dissolved in water at a concentration of about 0.1 to 25 mg of biologically active protein per mL of solution. The formulation can also include a buffer and a simple sugar (e.g., for protein stabilization and regulation of osmotic pressure). The nebulizer formulation can also contain a surfactant, to reduce or prevent surface induced aggregation of the protein caused by atomization of the solution in forming the aerosol.

Formulations for use with a metered-dose inhaler device will generally comprise a finely divided powder containing the inventive compound suspended in a propellant with the aid of a surfactant. The propellant can be any conventional material employed for this purpose, such as a chlorofluorocarbon, a hydrochlorofluorocarbon, a hydrofluorocarbon, or a hydrocarbon, including trichlorofluoromethane, dichlorodifluoromethane, dichlorotetrafluoroethanol, and 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane, or combinations thereof. Suitable surfactants include sorbitan trioleate and soya lecithin. Oleic acid can also be useful as a surfactant. (See, e.g., Bäckström et al., Aerosol drug formulations containing hydrofluoroalkanes and alkyl saccharides, U.S. Pat. No. 6,932,962).

Formulations for dispensing from a powder inhaler device will comprise a finely divided dry powder containing the inventive compound and can also include a bulking agent, such as lactose, sorbitol, sucrose, mannitol, trehalose, or xylitol in amounts which facilitate dispersal of the powder from the device, e.g., 50 to 90% by weight of the formulation.

Nasal delivery forms. In accordance with the present invention, intranasal delivery of the inventive composition of matter and/or pharmaceutical compositions is also useful, which allows passage thereof to the blood stream directly after administration to the inside of the nose, without the necessity for deposition of the product in the lung. Formulations suitable for intransal administration include those with dextran or cyclodextran, and intranasal delivery devices are known. (See, e.g, Freezer, Inhaler, U.S. Pat. No. 4,083,368).

Transdermal and transmucosal (e.g., buccal) delivery forms). In some embodiments, the inventive composition is configured as a part of a pharmaceutically acceptable transdermal or transmucosal patch or a troche. Transdermal patch drug delivery systems, for example, matrix type transdermal patches, are known and useful for practicing some embodiments of the present pharmaceutical compositions. (E.g., Chien et al., Transdermal estrogen/progestin dosage unit, system and process, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,906,169 and 5,023,084; Cleary et al., Diffusion matrix for transdermal drug administration and transdermal drug delivery devices including same, U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,916; Teillaud et al., EVA-based transdermal matrix system for the administration of an estrogen and/or a progestogen, U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,702; Venkateshwaran et al., Transdermal drug delivery matrix for coadministering estradiol and another steroid, U.S. Pat. No. 5,783,208; Ebert et al., Methods for providing testosterone and optionally estrogen replacement therapy to women, U.S. Pat. No. 5,460,820). A variety of pharmaceutically acceptable systems for transmucosal delivery of therapeutic agents are also known in the art and are compatible with the practice of the present invention. (E.g., Heiber et al., Transmucosal delivery of macromolecular drugs, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,346,701 and 5,516,523; Longenecker et al., Transmembrane formulations for drug administration, U.S. Pat. No. 4,994,439).

Buccal delivery of the inventive compositions is also useful. Buccal delivery formulations are known in the art for use with peptides. For example, known tablet or patch systems configured for drug delivery through the oral mucosa (e.g., sublingual mucosa), include some embodiments that comprise an inner layer containing the drug, a permeation enhancer, such as a bile salt or fusidate, and a hydrophilic polymer, such as hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, dextran, pectin, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, starch, gelatin, or any number of other polymers known to be useful for this purpose. This inner layer can have one surface adapted to contact and adhere to the moist mucosal tissue of the oral cavity and can have an opposing surface adhering to an overlying non-adhesive inert layer. Optionally, such a transmucosal delivery system can be in the form of a bilayer tablet, in which the inner layer also contains additional binding agents, flavoring agents, or fillers. Some useful systems employ a non-ionic detergent along with a permeation enhancer. Transmucosal delivery devices may be in free form, such as a cream, gel, or ointment, or may comprise a determinate form such as a tablet, patch or troche. For example, delivery of the inventive composition can be via a transmucosal delivery system comprising a laminated composite of, for example, an adhesive layer, a backing layer, a permeable membrane defining a reservoir containing the inventive composition, a peel seal disc underlying the membrane, one or more heat seals, and a removable release liner. (E.g., Ebert et al., Transdermal delivery system with adhesive overlay and peel seal disc, U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,925; Chang et al., Device for administering an active agent to the skin or mucosa, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,849,224 and 4,983,395). These examples are merely illustrative of available transmucosal drug delivery technology and are not limiting of the present invention.

Dosages. The dosage regimen involved in a method for treating the above-described conditions will be determined by the attending physician, considering various factors which modify the action of drugs, e.g. the age, condition, body weight, sex and diet of the patient, the severity of any infection, time of administration and other clinical factors. Generally, the daily regimen should be in the range of 0.1-1000 micrograms of the inventive compound per kilogram of body weight, preferably 0.1-150 micrograms per kilogram.

The following working examples are illustrative and not to be construed in any way as limiting the scope of the present invention.

EXAMPLES Example 1 huFc(IgG1) Variants Constructed For Bacterial Expression

By way of example, four variants of human Fc domain (huFc(IgG1) were constructed.

1) huFc(IgG1) with a Q143C mutation (at position 143 of SEQ ID NO:599; designated “Strain 13300”) was made as follows. Two PCR fragments introducing the Q143C mutation were amplified from a plasmid encoding the huFc(IgG1). The first PCR fragment was amplified by the following two primers:

3430-37

GAGGAATAACATATGGACAAAACTCACACATGTCCACCT (SEQ ID NO: 641), which encodes the first 8 amino acids of huFc(IgG1) plus a 15-nucleotide 5′ extension including a NdeI site; and

-   -   4220-28     -   GGTCAGGCTGACGCAGTTCTTGGTCAG (SEQ ID NO: 642), which encodes 9         amino acids of huFc(IgG1) from the 139th to the 147th amino acid         with the 143th amino acid mutated from Glutamine to Cysteine in         the 3′ orientation.

The second PCR fragment was amplified by the following two primers:

4220-27

CTGACCAAGAACTGCGTCAGCCTGACC (SEQ ID NO: 643), which encodes 9 amino acids of huFc(IgG1) from the 139th to the 147th amino acid with the 143th amino acid mutated from Glutamine to Cysteine in the 5′ orientation.

3421-87

CCGCGGCGTCTCGAGATTATTTACCCGGAGACAGGGAGAGGCT (SEQ ID NO: 644), which encodes the last 8 amino acids of huFc(IgG1), a stop codon and a 15-nucleotide 3′ extension including a XhoI site.

The 2 PCR fragments were again amplified with primers 3430-37 and 3421-87. The PCR product was cloned in pAMG21 vector and sequence-confirmed by DNA sequencing. The E. coli strain that harbors this plasmid is named strain 13300.

The relevant coding sequence of Strain 13300 is:

SEQ ID NO: 645 1 ATGGACAAAA CTCACACATG TCCACCTTGC CCAGCACCTG AACTCCTGGG 51 GGGACCGTCA GTTTTCCTCT TCCCCCCAAA ACCCAAGGAC ACCCTCATGA 101 TCTCCCGGAC CCCTGAGGTC ACATGCGTGG TGGTGGACGT GAGCCACGAA 151 GACCCTGAGG TCAAGTTCAA CTGGTACGTG GACGGCGTGG AGGTGCATAA 201 TGCCAAGACA AAGCCGCGGG AGGAGCAGTA CAACAGCACG TACCGTGTGG 251 TCAGCGTCCT CACCGTCCTG CACCAGGACT GGCTGAATGG CAAGGAGTAC 301 AAGTGCAAGG TCTCCAACAA AGCCCTCCCA GCCCCCATCG AGAAAACCAT 351 CTCCAAAGCC AAAGGGCAGC CCCGAGAACC ACAGGTGTAC ACCCTGCCCC 401 CATCCCGGGA TGAGCTGACC AAGAACTGCG TCAGCCTGAC CTGCCTGGTC 451 AAAGGCTTCT ATCCCAGCGA CATCGCCGTG GAGTGGGAGA GCAATGGGCA 501 GCCGGAGAAC AACTACAAGA CCACGCCTCC CGTGCTGGAC TCCGACGGCT 551 CCTTCTTCCT CTACAGCAAG CTCACCGTGG ACAAGAGCAG GTGGCAGCAG 601 GGGAACGTCT TCTCATGCTC CGTGATGCAT GAGGCTCTGC ACAACCACTA 651 CACGCAGAAG AGCCTCTCCC TGTCTCCGGG TAAATAAT//

The translation of this nucleotide sequence is as follows:

Strain 13300 (huFC(IgG1)Q143C):

(SEQ ID NO: 646) 1 MDKTHTCPPC PAPELLGGPS VFLFPPKPKD TLMISRTPEV TCVVVDVSHE 51 DPEVKFNWYV DGVEVHNAKT KPREEQYNST YRVVSVLTVL HQDWLNGKEY 101 KCKVSNKALP APIEKTISKA KGQPREPQVY TLPPSRDELT KNCVSLTCLV 151 KGFYPSDIAV EWESNGQPEN NYKTTPPVLD SDGSFFLYSK LTVDKSRWQQ 201 GNVFSCSVMH EALHNHYTQK SLSLSPGK//.

2) huFc(IgG1) with a L139C mutation (at position 139 of SEQ ID NO:599; designated “Strain 13322”) was made following procedures similar to those described in (1) above using the following primers and procedures. The first PCR fragment was amplified by the following two primers:

3430-37

GAGGAATAACATATGGACAAAACTCACACATGTCCACCT (SEQ ID NO: 641), which encodes the first 8 amino acids of huFc(IgG1) plus a 15-nucleotide 5′ extension including a NdeI site and 4220-26

CTGGTTCTTGGTGCACTCATCCCGGGA (SEQ ID NO: 647), which encodes 9 amino acids of huFc(IgG1) from the 135th to the 143th amino acid with the 138th amino acid mutated from Leucine to Cysteine in the 3′ orientation.

The second PCR fragment was amplified by the following two primers:

4220-25

TCCCGGGATGAGTGCACCAAGAACCAG (SEQ ID NO: 648), which encodes 9 amino acids of huFc(IgG1) from the 135th to the 143th amino acid with the 138th amino acid mutated from Leucine to Cysteine in the 5′ orientation.

3421-87

CCGCGGCGTCTCGAGATTATTTACCCGGAGACAGGGAGAGGCT (SEQ ID NO: 644), which encodes the last 8 amino acids of huFc(IgG1), a stop codon and a 15-nucleotide 3′ extension including a XhoI site. The 2 PCR fragments were again amplified with primers 3430-37 and 3421-87. The PCR product was cloned in pAMG21 vector and sequenced-confirmed by DNA sequencing. The E. coli strain that harbors this plasmid is named strain 13322.

The relevant coding sequence of Strain 13322 is:

SEQ ID NO: 649 1 ATGGACAAAA CTCACACATG TCCACCTTGC CCAGCACCTG AACTCCTGGG 51 GGGACCGTCA GTTTTCCTCT TCCCCCCAAA ACCCAAGGAC ACCCTCATGA 101 TCTCCCGGAC CCCTGAGGTC ACATGCGTGG TGGTGGACGT GAGCCACGAA 151 GACCCTGAGG TCAAGTTTAA CTGGTACGTG GACGGCGTGG AGGTGCATAA 201 TGCCAAGACA AAGCCGCGGG AGGAGCAGTA CAACAGCACG TACCGTGTGG 251 TCAGCGTCCT CACCGTCCTG CACCAGGACT GGCTGAATGG CAAGGAGTAC 301 AAGTGCAAGG TCTCCAACAA AGCCCTCCCA GCCCCCATCG AGAAAACCAT 351 CTCCAAAGCC AAAGGGCAGC CCCGAGAACC ACAGGTGTAC ACCCTGCCCC 401 CATCCCGGGA TGAGTGCACC AAGAACCAGG TCAGCCTGAC CTGCCTGGTC 451 AAAGGCTTCT ATCCCAGCGA CATCGCCGTG GAGTGGGAGA GCAATGGGCA 501 GCCGGAGAAC AACTACAAGA CCACGCCTCC CGTGCTGGAC TCCGACGGCT 551 CCTTCTTCCT CTACAGCAAG CTCACCGTGG ACAAGAGCAG GTGGCAGCAG 601 GGGAACGTCT TCTCATGCTC CGTGATGCAT GAGGCTCTGC ACAACCACTA 651 CACGCAGAAG AGCCTCTCCC TGTCTCCGGG TAAATAAT//.

The translation of this nucleotide sequence is as follows:

Strain 13322 (huFc(IgG1)L139C):

(SEQ ID NO: 650) 1 MDKTHTCPPC PAPELLGGPS VFLFPPKPKD TLMISRTPEV TCVVVDVSHE 51 DPEVKFNWYV DGVEVHNAKT KPREEQYNST YRVVSVLTVL HQDWLNGKEY 101 KCKVSNKALP APIEKTISKA KGQPREPQVY TLPPSRDECT KNQVSLTCLV 151 KGFYPSDIAV EWESNGQPEN NYKTTPPVLD SDGSFFLYSK LTVDKSRWQQ 201 GNVFSCSVMH EALHNHYTQK SLSLSPGK//.

3) huFc(IgG1) with a S145C mutation (at position 145 of SEQ ID NO:599; designated “Strain 13323”) was made following procedures similar to those described in (1) above using the following primers and procedures. The first PCR fragment was amplified by the following two primers:

3430-37

GAGGAATAACATATGGACAAAACTCACACATGTCCACCT (SEQ ID NO: 641) which encodes the first 8 amino acids of huFc(IgG1) plus a 15-nucleotide 5′ extension including a NdeI site and

4220-30

CAGGCAGGTCAGGCAGACCTGGTTCTT (SEQ ID NO: 651), which encodes the 9 amino acids of huFc(IgG1) from the 141th to the 149th amino acid with the 145th amino acid mutated from Serine to Cysteine in the 3′ orientation.

The second PCR fragment was amplified by the following two primers:

4220-29

AAGAACCAGGTCTGCCTGACCTGCCTG (SEQ ID NO: 652), which encodes the 9 amino acids of huFc(IgG1) from the 141th to the 149th amino acid with the 145th amino acid mutated from Serine to Cysteine in the 5′ orientation.

3421-87

CCGCGGCGTCTCGAGATTATTTACCCGGAGACAGGGAGAGGCT (SEQ ID NO: 644), which encodes the last 8 amino acids of huFc(IgG1), a stop codon and a 15-nucleotide 3′ extension including a XhoI site. The 2 PCR fragments were again amplified with primers 3430-37 and 3421-87. The PCR product was cloned in pAMG21 vector and sequence-confirmed by DNA sequencing. The E. coli strain that harbors this plasmid is named strain 13323.

The relevant coding sequence of Strain 13323 is:

SEQ ID NO: 653 1 ATGGACAAAA CTCACACATG TCCACCTTGC CCAGCACCTG AACTCCTGGG 51 GGGACCGTCA GTTTTCCTCT TCCCCCCAAA ACCCAAGGAC ACCCTCATGA 101 TCTCCCGGAC CCCTGAGGTC ACATGCGTGG TGGTGGACGT GAGCCACGAA 151 GACCCTGAGG TCAAGTTCAA CTGGTACGTG GACGGCGTGG AGGTGCATAA 201 TGCCAAGACA AAGCCGCGGG AGGAGCAGTA CAACAGCACG TACCGTGTGG 251 TCAGCGTCCT CACCGTCCTG CACCAGGACT GGCTGAATGG CAAGGAGTAC 301 AAGTGCAAGG TCTCCAACAA AGCCCTCCCA GCCCCCATCG AGAAAACCAT 351 CTCCAAAGCC AAAGGGCAGC CCCGAGAACC ACAGGTGTAC ACCCTGCCCC 401 CATCCCGGGA TGAGCTGACC AAGAACCAGG TCTGCCTGAC CTGCCTGGTC 451 AAAGGCTTCT ATCCCAGCGA CATCGCCGTG GAGTGGGAGA GCAATGGGCA 501 GCCGGAGAAC AACTACAAGA CCACGCCTCC CGTGCTGGAC TCCGACGGCT 551 CCTTCTTCCT CTACAGCAAG CTCACCGTGG ACAAGAGCAG GTGGCAGCAG 601 GGGAACGTCT TCTCATGCTC CGTGATGCAT GAGGCTCTGC ACAACCACTA 651 CACGCAGAAG AGCCTCTCCC TGTCTCCGGG TAAATAAT//

The translation of this sequence is as follows:

Strain 13323 (huFc(IgG1)S145C):

(SEQ ID NO: 654) 1 MDKTHTCPPC PAPELLGGPS VFLFPPKPKD TLMISRTPEV TCVVVDVSHE 51 DPEVKFNWYV DGVEVHNAKT KPREEQYNST YRVVSVLTVL HQDWLNGKEY 101 KCKVSNKALP APIEKTISKA KGQPREPQVY TLPPSRDELT KNQVCLTCLV 151 KGFYPSDIAV EWESNGQPEN NYKTTPPVLD SDGSFFLYSK LTVDKSRWQQ 201 GNVFSCSVMH EALHNHYTQK SLSLSPGK//.

4) huFc(IgG1) with a S196C mutation (at position 196 of SEQ ID NO:599; designated “Strain 13324”) was made following procedures similar to those described in (1) above using the following primers and procedures. The first PCR fragment was amplified by the following two primers:

3430-37

GAGGAATAACATATGGACAAAACTCACACATGTCCACCT (SEQ ID NO: 641), which encodes the first 8 amino acids of huFc(IgG1) plus a 15-nucleotide 5′ extension including a NdeI site and

4220-32

CTGCTGCCACCTGCACTTGTCCACGGT (SEQ ID NO: 655), which encodes 9 amino acids of huFc(IgG1) from the 192th to the 200th amino acid with the 196th amino acid mutated from Serine to Cysteine in the 3′ orientation.

The second PCR fragment was amplified by the following two primers:

4220-31

ACCGTGGACAAGTGCAGGTGGCAGCAG (SEQ ID NO: 656), which encodes 9 amino acids of huFc(IgG1) from the 192th to the 200th amino acid with the 196th amino acid mutated from Serine to Cysteine in the 5′ orientation.

3421-87

CCGCGGCGTCTCGAGATTATTTACCCGGAGACAGGGAGAGGCT (SEQ ID NO: 644), which encodes the last 8 amino acids of huFc(IgG1), a stop codon and a 15-nucleotide 3′ extension including a XhoI site. The 2 PCR fragments were again amplified with primers 3430-37 and 3421-87. The PCR product was cloned in pAMG21 vector and sequenced-confirmed by DNA sequencing. The E. coli strain that harbors this plasmid is named strain 13324.

The relevant coding sequence of Strain 13324 is:

SEQ ID NO: 657 1 ATGGACAAAA CTCACACATG TCCACCTTGC CCAGCACCTG AACTCCTGGG 51 GGGACCGTCA GTTTTCCTCT TCCCCCCAAA ACCCAAGGAC ACCCTCATGA 101 TCTCCCGGAC CCCTGAGGTC ACATGCGTGG TGGTGGACGT GAGCCACGAA 151 GACCCTGAGG TCAAGTTCAA CTGGTACGTG GACGGCGTGG AGGTGCATAA 201 TGCCAAGACA AAGCCGCGGG AGGAGCAGTA CAACAGCACG TACCGTGTGG 251 TCAGCGTCCT CACCGTCCTG CACCAGGACT GGCTGAATGG CAAGGAGTAC 301 AAGTGCAAGG TCTCCAACAA AGCCCTCCCA GCCCCCATCG AGAAAACCAT 351 CTCCAAAGCC AAAGGGCAGC CCCGAGAACC ACAGGTGTAC ACCCTGCCCC 401 CATCCCGGGA TGAGCTGACC AAGAACCAGG TCAGCCTGAC CTGCCTGGTC 451 AAAGGCTTCT ATCCCAGCGA CATCGCCGTG GAGTGGGAGA GCAATGGGCA 501 GCCGGAGAAC AACTACAAGA CCACGCCTCC CGTGCTGGAC TCCGACGGCT 551 CCTTCTTCCT CTACAGCAAG CTCACCGTGG ACAAGTGCAG GTGGCAGCAG 601 GGGAACGTCT TCTCATGCTC CGTGATGCAT GAGGCTCTGC ACAACCACTA 651 CACGCAGAAG AGCCTCTCCC TGTCTCCGGG TAAATAAT//

The translation of this nucleotide sequence is as follows:

Strain 13324 (huFC(IgG1)S196C):

(SEQ ID NO: 658) 1 MDKTHTCPPC PAPELLGGPS VFLFPPKPKD TLMISRTPEV TCVVVDVSHE 51 DPEVKFNWYV DGVEVHNAKT KPREEQYNST YRVVSVLTVL HQDWLNGKEY 101 KCKVSNKALP APIEKTISKA KGQPREPQVY TLPPSRDELT KNQVSLTCLV 151 KGFYPSDIAV EWESNGQPEN NYKTTPPVLD SDGSFFLYSK LTVDKCRWQQ 201 GNVFSCSVMH EALHNHYTQK SLSLSPGK//.

Example 2 Purification of Fc-Cysteine Analogs

The cDNA clones constructed as described in Example 1 hereinabove: Strain 13300 (huFc(IgG1)Q143C), Strain 13322 (huFc(IgG1)L139C), Strain 13323 (huFc(IgG1)S145C) and Strain 13324 (huFc(IgG1)S196C) were transformed in E. coli and expressed in inclusion bodies. Cell pastes from each strain were resuspended in 10 ml water/g paste, lysed by three passages through a microfluidizer and the insoluble inclusion body (IB) fraction was collected by centrifugation. The IBs were subsequently washed with 1% deoxycholate, centrifuged and washed again with water. The final pellet of deoxycholate washed inclusion bodies (DWIBs) was weighed and frozen at −80° C.

The frozen DWIBs, from each clone, were then thawed and resuspended in 1 ml water/g DWIBs, then solubilized and reduced by the addition of 9 ml of 8 M buffered Gdn-HCl, 11 mM DTT. The solubilization proceeded at room temperature, with stirring, for 1 hour.

Each huFc-cysteine analog was then refolded by rapid dilution (20-fold) of the solubilized DWIBs into a refolding buffer consisting of 2 M Urea, 150 mM Arginine, 50 mM Tris, 1 mM Cysteine, 3 mM Cystamine, pH 8.5. The refolding reaction was allowed to proceed for 48-72 hours with gentle stirring at 4° C.

Purification of the huFc-cysteine analogs began affinity column chromatography using MAb Select resin (GE Healthcare, Piscataway, N.J.). Briefly, the refold reaction was clarified by centrifugation followed by 0.45 micron filtration. The filtered refold was then loaded to a MAb select column pre-equilibrated in PBS. After loading, the column was further washed with 3 column volumes PBS, then eluted with 0.1 N acetic acid. The protein fraction that was acid eluted from the MAb Select column was immediately dialyzed into 10 mM NaOAc, 50 mM NaCl, pH 5.0.

Additional purification was achieved by cation exchange chromatography using SP Sepharose HP resin (GE Healthcare, Piscataway, N.J.). Briefly, after dialysis, the MAb Select eluted pool was loaded to the ion exchange column, pre-equilibrated in 10 mM NaOAc, 50 mM NaCl, pH 5.0, washed with 3 column volumes of equilibration buffer, then eluted with a linear 50-500 mM NaCl gradient. The eluted peaks were evaluated by SDS-PAGE and the peaks containing protein of approximately 51 kD were pooled and concentrated. The concentrated pools were then dialyzed into PBS and concentrations determined spectrascopically using calculated extinction coefficients.

The final pools were analyzed by SDS-PAGE, SEC-HPLC, RP-HPLC and LC-MS. FIG. 5 shows the purity by SDS-PAGE gel of the 4 purified huFc-cysteine analogs. FIG. 6 shows the purity of clone 13324 huFCS196C by SEC-HPLC. FIG. 7 shows the purity and mass determinations of clone 13324 huFc(S196C) by LC-MS. Additional mass observed is consistent with cystamine adducts carried over from the refold reaction. The observed mass differential disappears when the samples are reduced prior to LC-MS analyses, further indicating a mixed disulphide adduct is present.

Example 3 Conjugation of Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) to Fc-Cysteine Analogs

The huFc (S196C) analog, clone #13324, was selected as representative of the huFc-cysteine analogs produced, as described in Example 2 herein above, for the purpose of developing a site-selective conjugation process for the Fc-cysteine analogs. Since the LC-MS analyses of the purified huFc-cysteine analogs indicated the presence of mixed disulphides with low molecular weight adducts, a limited reduction step was undertaken prior to conjugation. This was followed by thiol specific PEGylation to assess the degree and site-selectivity of conjugation at the engineered cysteine.

Briefly, the huFc (S196C) analog described in Example 2 was partially reduced by titrating ris(2-carboxyethylphosphine) hydrochloride (TCEP) from 0-5 molar excess stoichiometries relative to the concentration of engineered cysteine. The reduction reaction was incubated 2 hours, at room temperature, in 50 mM sodium phosphate, 5 mM EDTA, pH 6.0 at a protein concentration of 1 mg/ml. TCEP and reduced adduct were removed by gel filtration using disposable Zebra desalt spin columns (Pierce, Rockford, Ill.) equilibrated in 50 mM sodium phosphate, 5 mM EDTA, pH 6.0. The reduced protein eluted from the gel filtration was then reacted with 20 kD mPEG-maleimide (Nektar Inc., Huntsville, Ala.) in a 2-fold molar excess over the engineered cysteine concentration. The PEGylation reaction was allowed to proceed overnight, at room temperature. The extent of modification was determined by SDS-PAGE (FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B) and by SEC-HPLC (FIG. 9A-B).

Next, the PEGylation reaction was scaled up using a 1:1.25 molar ratio of engineered cysteine to TCEP and the PEG-huFc(S196C) analog was purified by cation exchange chromatography. Purification was achieved with an SP Sepharose HP column (GE Healthcare, Piscataway, N.J.) equilibrated in 20 mM sodium acetate, pH 4.0 and was eluted with a linear 0-0.5 M sodium chloride gradient. The eluted peaks were evaluated by SDS-PAGE and SEC-LS and were pooled and concentrated based on size. FIG. 9A-B shows the SEC-LS result identifying the isolated PEG-huFc(S196C) conjugate, demonstrating a mass consistent with two 20 kD PEG molecules conjugated to one Fc dimer (−53 kD). Subsequent peptide mapping confirmed Cys196 as the site of PEGylation in this pool.

ABBREVIATIONS

Abbreviations used throughout this specification are as defined below, unless otherwise defined in specific circumstances.

-   -   Ac acetyl (used to refer to acetylated residues)     -   AcBpa acetylated p-benzoyl-L-phenylalanine     -   ADCC antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity     -   Aib aminoisobutyric acid     -   bA beta-alanine     -   Bpa p-benzoyl-L-phenylalanine     -   BrAc bromoacetyl (BrCH₂C(O)     -   BSA Bovine serum albumin     -   Bzl Benzyl     -   Cap Caproic acid     -   CTL Cytotoxic T lymphocytes     -   CTLA4 Cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4     -   DARC Duffy blood group antigen receptor     -   DCC Dicylcohexylcarbodiimide     -   Dde 1-(4,4-dimethyl-2,6-dioxo-cyclohexylidene)ethyl     -   EDTA ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid     -   EMP Erythropoietin-mimetic peptide     -   ESI-MS Electron spray ionization mass spectrometry     -   EPO Erythropoietin     -   Fmoc fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl     -   G-CSF Granulocyte colony stimulating factor     -   GH Growth hormone     -   HCT hematocrit     -   HGB hemoglobin     -   hGH Human growth hormone     -   HOBt 1-Hydroxybenzotriazole     -   HPLC high performance liquid chromatography     -   IL interleukin     -   IL-R interleukin receptor     -   IL-1R interleukin-1 receptor     -   IL-1ra interleukin-1 receptor antagonist     -   Lau Laurie acid     -   LPS lipopolysaccharide     -   LYMPH lymphocytes     -   MALDI-MS Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass         spectrometry     -   Me methyl     -   MeO methoxy     -   MHC major histocompatibility complex     -   MMP matrix metalloproteinase     -   MMPI matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor     -   1-Nap 1-napthylalanine     -   NEUT neutrophils     -   NGF nerve growth factor     -   Nle norleucine     -   NMP N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone     -   PAGE polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis     -   PBS Phosphate-buffered saline     -   Pbf 2,2,4,6,7-pendamethyldihydrobenzofuran-5-sulfonyl     -   PCR polymerase chain reaction     -   Pec pipecolic acid     -   PEG Poly(ethylene glycol)     -   pGlu pyroglutamic acid     -   Pic picolinic acid     -   PLT platelets     -   pY phosphotyrosine     -   PTFE polytetrafluoroethylene     -   RBC red blood cells     -   RBS ribosome binding site     -   RP-HPLC reversed phase HPLC     -   RT room temperature (25° C.)     -   Sar sarcosine     -   SDS sodium dodecyl sulfate     -   STK serine-threonine kinases     -   t-Boc tert-Butoxycarbonyl     -   tBu tert-Butyl     -   TGF tissue growth factor     -   THF thymic humoral factor     -   TK tyrosine kinase     -   TMP Thrombopoietin-mimetic peptide     -   TNF Tissue necrosis factor     -   TPO Thrombopoietin     -   TRAIL TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand     -   Trt trityl     -   UK urokinase     -   UKR urokinase receptor     -   VEGF vascular endothelial cell growth factor     -   VIP vasocative inteinal peptide     -   WBC white blood cells 

1. A composition of matter, which comprises a monomeric or multimeric Fc domain having at least one additional functional moiety that is covalently bound to one or more specifically selected internal conjugation site(s) in the Fc domain through the side chain of an amino acid residue at the conjugation site(s) selected from the group consisting of D2, K3, T4, H5, T6, C7, P8, P9, C10, P11, A12, P13, E14, L15, L16, G17, G18, P19, P25, P26, D46, V47, S48, H49, E50, D51, P52, E53, K55, D61, G62, V65, H66, N67, A68, E74, E75, Q76, Y77, N78, S79, T80, V89, L90, H91, Q92, D93, W94, L95, N96, G97, K98, E99, N106, K107, A108, L109, P110, A111, P112, I113, E114, K115, T116, I117, S118, K119, A120, K121, G122, Q123, P124, R125, E126, P127, R136, D137, E138, L139, T140, K141, N142, Q143, N165, G166, Q167, P168, E169, N170, N171, K173, T174, T175, P176, P177, V178, L179, D180, S181, D182, G183, 5184, D194, K195, S196, R197, W198, Q199, Q200, G201, N202, V203, 5223, P226, G227, and K228, relative to reference sequence SEQ ID NO:599, or a combination of any of these.
 2. The composition of matter of claim 1, wherein the additional functional moiety is a pharmacologically active moiety.
 3. The composition of matter of claim 2, wherein the pharmacologically active moiety is a polypeptide, a peptide, or a peptidomimetic moiety.
 4. The composition of matter of claim 3, wherein the peptide is a toxin peptide and/or comprises a cyclic peptide.
 5. The composition of matter of claim 2, wherein the pharmacologically active moiety is a non-peptide organic moiety.
 6. The composition of matter of claim 1, wherein the additional functional moiety is a labeled moiety comprising a radioisotope, an enzyme, a biotinyl moiety, a fluorophore, or a chromophore.
 7. The composition of matter of claim 1, wherein the additional functional moiety is selected from the group consisting of an immobilized substrate, a half-life extending moiety, a polymer, and polyethylene glycol.
 8. The composition of matter of claim 7, wherein the half-life extending moiety is a polyethylene glycol, a copolymer of ethylene glycol, a polypropylene glycol, a copolymer of propylene glycol, a carboxymethylcellulose, a polyvinyl pyrrolidone, a poly-1,3-dioxolane, a poly-1,3,6-trioxane, an ethylene maleic anhydride copolymer, a polyaminoacid, a dextran n-vinyl pyrrolidone, a poly n-vinyl pyrrolidone, a propylene glycol homopolymer, a propylene oxide polymer, an ethylene oxide polymer, a polyoxyethylated polyol, a polyvinyl alcohol, a linear or branched glycosylated chain, a polyacetal, a long chain fatty acid, a long chain hydrophobic aliphatic group, an immunoglobulin F_(c) domain, an albumin, a transthyretin, or a thyroxine-binding globulin; or a combination of any of these members.
 9. The composition of matter of claim 1, wherein the one or more specifically selected internal conjugation site(s) is selected from the group consisting of D2, K3, T4, H5, T6, C7, P8, P9, C10, P11, A12, P13, E14, L15, L16, G17, G18, P19, P226, G227, and K228, relative to reference sequence SEQ ID NO:599, or a combination of any of these.
 10. The composition of matter of claim 1, wherein the one or more specifically selected internal conjugation site(s) is selected from the group consisting of P25, P26, D46, V47, S48, H49, E50, D51, P52, E53, V65, H66, N67, A68, E74, E75, Q76, Y77, N78, S79, T80, V89, L90, H91, Q92, D93, W94, L95, N96, G97, K98, E99, N106, K107, A108, L109, P110, A111, P112, I113, E114, K115, T116, I117, S118, K119, A120, K121, G122, Q123, P124, R125, E126, P127, D137, E138, L139, T140, K141, N165, G166, Q167, P168, E169, N170, N171, T174, T175, P176, P177, V178, L179, D180, S181, D182, G183, S184, K195, S196, R197, W198, Q199, Q200, G201, N202, and V203, relative to reference sequence SEQ ID NO:599, or a combination of any of these.
 11. The composition of matter of claim 1, wherein the one or more specifically selected internal conjugation site(s) is selected from the group consisting of D46, S48, H49, E50, E53, K55, D61, G62, Q76, N78, S79, E99, K107, A111, K121, G122, Q123, R136, D137, T140, K141, N142, Q143, N170, K173, S181, G183, D194, K195, S196, R197, Q199, and S223, relative to reference sequence SEQ ID NO:599, or a combination of any of these.
 12. The composition of matter of claim 1, wherein the one or more specifically selected internal conjugation site(s) is selected from the group consisting of S48, H49, E50, Y77, N78, S79, N106, K107, A108, L139, T140, E169, N170, N171, V178, L179, D180, 5181, D182, Q200, G201, and N202, relative to reference sequence SEQ ID NO:599, or a combination of any of these.
 13. The composition of matter of claim 1 of the formula

wherein: F¹ is a monomer of the monomeric or multimeric Fc domain; X¹ is covalently bound to the N-terminus of F¹ through the α-amino site of F¹; X² is covalently bound to the C-terminus of F¹ through the α-carboxy site of F¹; X³ is covalently bound to the one or more specifically selected internal conjugation site(s) in F¹ selected from the group consisting of D2, K3, T4, H5, T6, C7, P8, P9, C10, P11, A12, P13, E14, L15, L16, G17, G18, P19, P25, P26, D46, V47, S48, H49, E50, D51, P52, E53, K55, D61, G62, V65, H66, N67, A68, E74, E75, Q76, Y77, N78, S79, T80, V89, L90, H91, Q92, D93, W94, L95, N96, G97, K98, E99, N106, K107, A108, L109, P110, A111, P112, I113, E114, K115, T116, I117, S118, K119, A120, K121, G122, Q123, P124, R125, E126, P127, R136, D137, E138, L139, T140, K141, N142, Q143, N165, G166, Q167, P168, E169, N170, N171, K173, T174, T175, P176, P177, V178, L179, D180, 5181, D182, G183, 5184, D194, K195, S196, R197, W198, Q199, Q200, G201, N202, V203, S223, P226, G227, and K228, relative to reference sequence SEQ ID NO:599, or, if g>1, any combination of these members; X¹, X², and X³ are each independently selected from -(L¹)_(c)-P⁰, -(L¹)_(c)-P¹, -(L¹)_(c)-P¹-(L²)_(d)-P², -(L¹)_(c)-P¹-(L²)_(d)-P²-(L³)_(e)-P³, and -(L¹)_(c)-P¹-(L²)_(d)-P²-(L³)_(e)-P³-(L⁴)_(f)-P⁴; P⁰, P¹, P², P³, and P⁴ are each independently selected from the group consisting of: i) a pharmaceutically acceptable polymer or dextran; ii) a pharmacologically active polypeptide, peptide, peptidomimetic, or non-peptide organic moiety; iii) a radioisotope, an enzyme, a biotinyl moiety, a fluorophore, or a chromophore; and iv) an immobilized substrate, provided that in a chain comprising more than one additional functional moieties, the immobilized substrate is the moiety most distal from F¹, and there can be no more than one immobilized substrate in the chain; L¹, L², L³, and L⁴ are each independently linkers; a, b, c, d, e, and f are each independently 0 or 1; and g is 1, 2, 3, or
 4. 14. The composition of matter of claim 1 or claim 13, wherein the Fc domain comprises an IgG Fc domain.
 15. The composition of matter of claim 1 or claim 13, wherein the Fc domain comprises an IgG1 Fc domain.
 16. The composition of matter of claim 15, wherein the IgG1 Fc domain comprises SEQ ID NO: 600 or SEQ ID NO:
 603. 17. The composition of matter of claim 13, wherein a=0 and b=1, or a=1 and b=0, or a=1 and b=1, or a=0 and b=0.
 18. The composition of matter of claim 13, wherein X³ comprises polyethylene glycol (PEG).
 19. The composition of matter of claim 13, wherein X³ has the structure -(L¹)_(c)-P¹ or -(L¹)_(c)-P¹-(L²)_(d)-P².
 20. The composition of matter of claim 13, wherein g=1 or
 2. 21. The composition of matter of claim 1, comprising an angiotensin-2 (ang-2) binding peptide or polypeptide, or a myostatin binding peptide or polypeptide, or an erythropoietin-mimetic (EPO-mimetic) peptide or polypeptide, or a thrombopoietin-mimetic (TPO-mimetic) peptide or polypeptide.
 22. The composition of matter of claim 13, wherein any of X¹, X², or X³ comprises an angiotensin-2 (ang-2) binding peptide or polypeptide, or a myostatin binding peptide or polypeptide, or an erythropoietin-mimetic (EPO-mimetic) peptide or polypeptide, or a thrombopoietin-mimetic (TPO-mimetic) peptide or polypeptide.
 23. The composition of matter of claim 22, wherein the ang-2 binding peptide or polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NOS: 100 to 189 and 612, preferably SEQ ID NO:
 147. 24. The composition of matter of claim 22, wherein the myostatin binding peptide or polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NOS: 219 to 509, 613, and 616, preferably SEQ ID NO:
 365. 22. The composition of matter of claim 22, wherein the EPO-mimetic peptide or polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NOS: 1 to 27 and 614, preferably SEQ ID NO:
 2. 26. The composition of matter of claim 22, wherein the TPO-mimetic peptide or polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NOS: 28 to 99 and 615, preferably SEQ ID NO:
 28. 27. The composition of matter of claim 1, comprising a nerve growth factor (NGF) binding peptide or polypeptide or a B cell activating factor (BAFF) binding peptide or polypeptide.
 28. The composition of matter of claim 13, wherein any of X¹, X², or X³ comprises a nerve growth factor (NGF) binding peptide or polypeptide or a B cell activating factor (BAFF) binding peptide or polypeptide.
 29. The composition of matter of claim 28, wherein the NGF binding peptide or polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NOS: 190 to
 218. 30. The composition of matter of claim 28, wherein the BAFF binding peptide or polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NOS: 510 to
 594. 31. A pharmaceutical composition, comprising the composition of matter of claim 1, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
 32. A DNA encoding F¹ of the composition of matter of claim
 13. 33. An expression vector comprising the DNA of claim
 32. 34. A host cell comprising the expression vector of claim
 33. 35. The host cell of claim 34, wherein the cell is a bacterial or mammalian cell.
 36. A process for preparing a pharmacologically active compound, which comprises: a) selecting at least one internal conjugation site of an Fc domain sequence, said internal conjugation site being selected from the group consisting of D2, K3, T4, H5, T6, C7, P8, P9, C10, P11, A12, P13, E14, L15, L16, G17, G18, P19, P25, P26, D46, V47, S48, H49, E50, D51, P52, E53, K55, D61, G62, V65, H66, N67, A68, E74, E75, Q76, Y77, N78, S79, T80, V89, L90, H91, Q92, D93, W94, L95, N96, G97, K98, E99, N106, K107, A108, L109, P110, A111, P112, I113, E114, K115, T116, I117, S118, K119, A120, K121, G122, Q123, P124, R125, E126, P127, R136, D137, E138, L139, T140, K141, N142, Q143, N165, G166, Q167, P168, E169, N170, N171, K173, T174, T175, P176, P177, V178, L179, D180, 5181, D182, G183, 5184, D194, K195, S196, R197, W198, Q199, Q200, G201, N202, V203, S223, P226, G227, and K228, relative to reference sequence SEQ ID NO:599, or a combination of any of these, said internal conjugation site being amenable to conjugation of an additional functional moiety by a defined conjugation chemistry through the side chain of an amino acid residue at the conjugation site; and b) conjugating a predetermined functional moiety to the selected conjugation site by employing the defined conjugation chemistry.
 37. The process of claim 36, wherein selecting the at least one internal conjugation site further comprises substituting a cysteinyl residue for an amino acid residue in the selected internal conjugation site, or inserting a cysteinyl residue into the selected internal conjugation site, whereby the additional functional moiety is conjugated through the side chain of said cysteinyl residue.
 38. The process of claim 36, wherein selecting the at least one internal conjugation site further comprises substituting a non-canonical amino acid residue for an amino acid residue in the selected internal conjugation site, or inserting a non-canonical amino acid residue into the selected internal conjugation site, whereby the additional functional moiety is conjugated through the side chain of said non-canonical amino acid residue.
 39. The process of claim 38, wherein the non-canonical amino acid residue is selected from the group consisting of, azido-containing amino acid residues, keto-containing amino acid residues; alkyne-containing amino acid residues, alkene-containing amino acid residues, aryl halide-containing amino acid residues; and 1,2-aminothiol-containing amino acid residues.
 40. The process of claim 36, wherein a gene construct encoding the Fc domain sequence is expressed in a bacterial or a mammalian cell.
 41. The composition of matter of claim 1, wherein: (a) the composition of matter is an antibody modified so that it comprises at least one X³ additional functional moiety covalently bound to the Fc domain of the antibody through one or more specifically selected internal conjugation site(s) in the Fc domain selected from the group consisting of D2, K3, T4, H5, T6, C7, P8, P9, C10, P11, A12, P13, E14, L15, L16, G17, G18, P19, P25, P26, D46, V47, S48, H49, E50, D51, P52, E53, K55, D61, G62, V65, H66, N67, A68, E74, E75, Q76, Y77, N78, S79, T80, V89, L90, H91, Q92, D93, W94, L95, N96, G97, K98, E99, N₁₀₆, K107, A108, L109, P110, A111, P112, I113, E114, K115, T116, I117, S118, K119, A120, K121, G122, Q123, P124, R125, E126, P127, R136, D137, E138, L139, T140, K141, N142, Q143, N165, G166, Q167, P168, E169, N170, N171, K173, T174, T175, P176, P177, V178, L179, D180, S181, D182, G183, S184, D194, K195, S196, R197, W198, Q199, Q200, G201, N202, V203, S223, P226, G227, and K228, relative to reference sequence SEQ ID NO:599, or, if there is more than one X³, any combination of these members; (b) X³ is selected from -(L¹)_(c)-P⁰, -(L¹)_(c)-P¹, -(L¹)_(c)-P¹-(L²)_(d)-P², -(L¹)_(c)-P¹-(L²)_(d)-P²-(L³)_(e)-P³, and -(L¹)_(c)-P¹-(L²)_(d)-P²-(L³)_(e)-P³-(L⁴)_(f)-P⁴; P⁰, P¹, P², P³, and P⁴ are each independently selected from the group consisting of: i) a pharmaceutically acceptable polymer or dextran; ii) a pharmacologically active polypeptide, peptide, peptidomimetic, or non-peptide organic moiety; iii) a radioisotope, an enzyme, a biotinyl moiety, a fluorophore, or a chromophore; and iv) an immobilized substrate, provided that in a chain comprising more than one additional functional moieties, the immobilized substrate is the moiety most distal from the Fc domain, and there can be no more than one immobilized substrate in the chain; L¹, L², L³, and L⁴ are each independently linkers; c, d, e, and f are each independently 0 or
 1. 42. The composition of matter of claim 13, wherein any of X¹, X², or X³ comprises a polypeptide comprising SEQ ID NO:
 617. 